The voluntary EU Ecolabel has not been as effective or as popular as its proponents had hoped.

There has been a recent review which looked at market context, including sector-specific consumers’ attitudes to “green” products; which product groups were already covered by the Ecolabel or other similar schemes; and the scope for the label to help in the promotion of a more circular economy.

Among the conclusions it is suggested that there is already a proliferation of different markings and labels among different countries so individual Member States are not motivated to promote an EU-wide option.

In order to identify the key elements of a more strategic approach the European Commission has launched a consultation.