Clean Earth: ISO 14000 Environmental Assessment Systems

ISO 14000 is a series of environmental assessment methods developed by the International Organization for Standardization, covering systems from environmental management, certification, and eco-labeling.

The series defines three types of eco-labels. Type I labels (ISO 14024) are arguably the most valuable--for both producers and consumer--as they denote selective, multi-criteria-based, third-party-certified endorsement of a product. Type III labels (ISO 14025) provide quantified but non-selective product information based on independent verification against established benchmarks. Less valuable Type II labels (ISO 14021), which are self-declared claims.

Appreciating the relative merit of different labels will enable you to maximize the environmental benefit of your procurement decisions. For information about ISO 14000 go to www.iso.org. For more on eco-labeling go to www.gen.gr.jp, or eco-labels.org.