The United States’ Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced that the TÜV Rheinland Green Product Mark, a full member of Global Ecolabelling Network qualified through GENICES (Global Ecolabelling Network Internationally Coordinated Ecolabelling System) peer assessment process, is a recommended ecolabel for use in US federal procurement projects. The development is the result of the Environmentally Preferable Purchasing Program (EPP) pilot program to assess standards and ecolabels, which the EPA launched after the release of Presidential Executive Order EO 13693 in March 2015.
As an ecolabelling program owner and a Conformity Assessment Body (CAB), TÜV Rheinland, was assessed against the Guidelines for Assessing Environmental Performance Standards and Ecolabels for Federal Procurement by the IAE (Independent Assessment Entity) commissioned by the EPA. TÜV Rheinland’s Green Product Mark will be used by US federal purchasers to identify greener products and services and drive improved environmental performance of products and services.
Known officially as Planning for Federal Sustainability in the Next Decade, EO 13693 was designed to maintain federal leadership in sustainability and greenhouse gas emission reductions. It stipulates that US federal departments and agencies must purchase environmentally preferable products or services that meet or exceed the specifications, standards, or labels recommended by the EPA and further advance sustainable procurement goals.
“TÜV Rheinland supports sustainable public procurement initiatives around the world by providing third party environmental labelling services. We are committed to enabling the accomplishment of sustainable consumption and production goals set forth in the UN 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda,” said Mr. Holger Kunz, Executive Vice President, Products, TŰV Rheinland.
The EPA convened three product panels – paints/coatings, flooring and furniture – to develop the product category-specific assessment criteria needed in order to evaluate standards and ecolabels for the EPP pilot program. Mr. Fallight Xu, Head of Green Solutions at TÜV Rheinland, joined the furniture product panel and contributed to the development of the assessment criteria finally used by the EPA’s IAE.
Read more details about EPA’s recommendation at EPA’s online portal.