The term environmental label covers hundreds of existing programs worldwide. They could be roughly divided into first party approved labels (criteria verification by the introducer) and third party approved labels (verification by an independent source according to an evaluation process). Third party approved labels could be mandatory or voluntary (figure 1). Under the voluntary classification, the so-called "Seals of Approval" play a key role as a sustainable marketing instrument to promote products like printers, copiers, etc. on the market. Some seals even restrict the use of certain colorants in their basic criteria. For instance, certain azo colorants are banned. The most important seals cover products which are related to NIP (non-impact printing) technologies: Blue Angel/Germany, White Swan/Scandinavia, Eco-Mark/ Japan, Austrian Eco Label, etc. But the individual criteria may be different. Consequently for awarding, only selected colorants can be applied which have to be verified according to the label requirements. Unfortunately, these labels are in effect only for a specific country or region.
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