Eco Mark

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Eco Mark

The Japanese environmental label known as "Eco Mark" is a relatively new addition to a worldwide effort to designate products that are environmentally friendly. The Eco Mark program was launched in February 1989. The symbol is two arms embracing the world, symbolizing the protection of the earth. The arms create the letter "e" with the earth in the center. Indicating English as the international language, the Japanese use "e" to stand for environment , earth, and ecology .

The Japanese program is entirely government funded, although a small fee is charged to applicant industries. The annual fee is based on the retail price of a product, not annual product sales as is the case for other national green labeling programs. Products ranging in price from $0–7 are charged an annual fee of $278.00; from $7–70 are charged an annual fee of $417; from $70–700 are charged an annual fee of $556; and products priced over $700 are charged an annual fee of $700. Obviously, those products that are low in price and high in volume sold are most likely to apply for the Eco Mark label.

The Eco Mark program seeks to sanction products with the following four qualities: 1) minimal environmental impact from use; 2) significant potential for improvement of the environment by using the product; 3) minimal environmental impact from disposal after use; and 4) other significant contributions to improve the environment.

In addition, labeled products must comply with the following guidelines: 1) appropriate environmental pollution control measures are provided at the stage of production; 2) ease of treatment for disposal of product; 3) energy or resources are conserved with use of product; 4) compliance with laws, standards, and regulations pertaining to quality and safety; 5) price is not extraordinarily higher than comparable products.

The Environment Association, supervised by the Japanese Environment Agency, is in charge of the Eco Mark program. All technical, research, and administrative support is provided by the government. The labeling program is guided by two committees.

The Eco Mark Promotion Committee acts primarily in a supervisory capacity, approving the guidelines for the program's operation and advising on operations, including evaluation of the program categories and criteria. The promotion committee consists of nine members representing industry, marketing groups, local governments, environmental agencies, and the National Institute for Environmental Studies.

In addition to the Promotion Committee there is a committee for approval of products. This committee consists of five members with representation from the science community, the consumer protection community, and, as in the Promotion Committee, a representative each from the Environment Agency and the National Institute for Environmental Studies. The Japanese program is completely voluntary for manufacturers. Once a product is approved by the Approval Committee, a two-year renewable licensing contract for the use of the Eco Mark is signed with the Japan Environment Association.

The Eco Mark program is very goal-oriented and places great emphasis on overall environmental impact. The attention to production impacts, as well as use and disposal impacts, makes the program unique within the family of green labeling programs worldwide. Its primary goals are to encourage innovation by industry and elevate the environmental awareness and consumer behavior of the Japanese people in order to enhance environmental quality.

Japan's Environment Agency claims that responses from consumer and environmental organizations have been positive, while industry has been less than enthusiastic. In fact, the Eco Mark only covered seven products in 1989 and now covers over 5,000. Some scientists have voiced concern over the superficiality of the analysis procedure used to determine Eco Mark products. However, despite criticisms, the Japanese Eco Mark program is a strong national effort to encourage environmentally sound decisions and protect the environment for future generations in that country.

[Cynthia Fridgen ]