EcoScore, what are the labels on the environmental impact of food requested by European citizens

The European Commission has registered two European Citizens' Initiatives: one of them concerns environmental impact labels.

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The European Commission has decided to register a European citizens' initiative, the so-called Ice: it is the “European EcoScore”.

The EcoScore aims to enable European consumers to make informed choices that take into account the environmental impact of the products offered e encourage companies to reduce that same environmental impact. With more than 1 million signatures, it began its process on June 30th.

The European EcoScore

The organizers of the “European EcoScore” initiative are asking the Commission to propose a reliable European EcoScore, a mandatory label that provides consumers with information on the environmental impact of products manufactured or sold on the European Union market. The label would be based on a standardized calculation, starting with food and clothing, but ultimately aiming to cover all types of products.

This mandatory and clearly visible indication on the package - reads the request - would provide simple and reliable information on the environmental impact of the product according to the selected letter (“A” = very ecological, while “F” = very harmful to the environment).

A similar system is already being used on an experimental basis in France (Read also: After the Nutri-score, France launches the Eco-score, the label that informs about the environmental impact of food): here applications and websites related to food like Yuka, Open Food Facts and Marmiton have introduced a labeling based on the Nutri-score model, with products that are assigned an evaluation based on sustainability parameters.

Read also: Food labels: the obligation to indicate calories, fats and sugars is triggered

Once formally registered, a European Citizens' Initiative enables 1 million citizens from at least seven EU Member States to invite the Commission to propose legal acts in areas where it has the power to act.

Source: European Commission

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