Opening up access to more goods with less environmental impact, the European Parliament has voted to make the Ecolabel less costly and bureaucratic. As concerns food, the European Commission is asked to study whether only products certified organic should be eligible. Proposals set Ecolabel development criteria for any goods or services in the EU market.

Member-states have agreed to go one better than the current A-G energy efficiency grading for household electrical appliances. Expect ‘A-20%’ and so on by 2011.

Specific Ecolabel criteria for each product group are set by the Commission, based on EU-wide consultations. The label has a vast variety of applications, including textiles, paints and even hotels, such as one refuge set 1,750 metres up in the Italian Alps. Proposed performance criteria extend to impact on climate change, resource consumption and waste generation.

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