AS NZS ISO 14021 2000 Environmental labels and dec

AS/NZSISO14021:2000Australian/NewZealandStandard™Environmentallabelsanddeclarations—Self-declaredenvironmentalclaims(TypeIIenvironmentallabelling)[ModifiedandincludingthefulltextofISO14021:1999]AS/NZSISO14021:2000AS/NZSISO14021:2000ThisJointAustralian/NewZealandStandardwaspreparedbyJointTechnicalCommitteeEV-003,EnvironmentalLabelling.ItwasapprovedonbehalfoftheCouncilofStandardsAustraliaon29February2000andonbehalfoftheCouncilofStandardsNewZealandon25February2000.ThisStandardwaspublishedon21March2000.ThefollowingarerepresentedonCommitteeEV-003:AustralianandNewZealandEnvironmentandConservationCouncilAustralianAssociationofCertificationBodiesAustralianChamberofCommerceandIndustryAustralianFood&GroceryCouncilAustralianIndustryGroupAustralianRetailerAssociationConsumersFederationofAustraliaDepartmentofIndustryScienceandResources(Australia)EnvironmentalProtectionAuthority(NewZealand)InstitutionofEngineersAustraliaNatureConservationCouncilofN.S.W.PackagingCouncilofAustraliaTelarcNewZealandKeepingStandardsup-to-dateStandardsarelivingdocumentswhichreflectprogressinscience,technologyandsystems.Tomaintaintheircurrency,allStandardsareperiodicallyreviewed,andneweditionsarepublished.Betweeneditions,amendmentsmaybeissued.Standardsmayalsobewithdrawn.ItisimportantthatreadersassurethemselvestheyareusingacurrentStandard,whichshouldincludeanyamendmentswhichmayhavebeenpublishedsincetheStandardwaspurchased.DetailedinformationaboutjointAustralian/NewZealandStandardscanbefoundbyvisitingtheStandardsWebShopat:2000Australian/NewZealandStandard™Environmentallabelsanddeclarations—Self-declaredenvironmentalclaims(TypeIIenvironmentallabelling)COPYRIGHT©StandardsAustralia/StandardsNewZealandAllrightsarereserved.Nopartofthisworkmaybereproducedorcopiedinanyformorbyanymeans,electronicormechanical,includingphotocopying,withoutthewrittenpermissionofthepublisher.JointlypublishedbyStandardsAustralia,GPOBox476,Sydney,NSW2001andStandardsNewZealand,PrivateBag2439,Wellington6020ISBN0733733018FirstpublishedasASISO14021(Int)—1998.JointlyrevisedanddesignatedasAS/NZSISO14021:2000.iiPREFACEThisStandardwaspreparedbytheJointStandardsAustralia/StandardsNewZealandCommitteeEV-003,EnvironmentalLabellingtosupersedeASISO14021(Int)—1998whichwasadoptedfromtheinquirydraftISO/DIS14021.2.ThisStandardisanadoptionwithnationalmodificationsofISO14021:1999,Environmentallabelsanddeclarations—Self-declaredenvironmentalclaims(TypeIIenvironmentallabelling).ThemodificationstoISO14021arelistedbelowandthetextaffectedisindicatedbyamarginalbar.TheobjectiveofthisStandardistoharmonizethevariousnationalguidelinesonenvironmentalclaimsusedinproductlabelsandinmarketinggenerally,inordertofacilitatetradeintheglobalmarketplaceandtogiveconsumersconfidenceinenvironmentalclaims.AttentionisdrawntoClause5.2oftheStandard,whichtheCommitteehasdecidedtodeleteintheAustralian/NewZealandStandard.IthasbeensuggestedthatISO14020addsnothingtothecontentoftheStandard;andbecauseofsomepotentialcontradictionsbetweenISO14020andthisStandard,referencingISO14020wasfelttodetractfromtheclarityoftheStandard.Clause5.4ofISO14021hasalsobeenmodifiedbecauseitisgenerallyacceptedwithinAustraliaandNewZealandthatclaimsof‘..free’arerarelyliterallytrueandhencearepotentiallymisleadingtotheconsumer.Ithasalsobeenagreedthataclauseallowingaclaimof‘..free’whentraceamountsarepresentgoesagainstthegeneralrequirementthat‘claimsshallbeaccurateandnotmisleading’.Theterm‘informative’hasbeenusedinthisStandardtodefinetheapplicationoftheannextowhichisapplies.An‘informative’annexisonlyforinformationandguidance.ForthepurposeofthisStandard,theISOtextshouldbemodifiedasfollows:(a)ItsnumberappearsonthecoverandtitlepagewhiletheInternationalStandardnumberappearsonlyonthecover.(b)Inthesourcetext,‘thisInternationalStandard’shouldread‘thisAustralian/NewZealandStandard’.(c)Afullpointsubstitutesforacommawhenreferringtoadecimalmarker.(d)DeleteClause5.2andthereferencetoISO14020inClause2.(e)ReplaceClause5.4withthefollowing:Claimsof‘...free’Environmentalclaimsof‘...free’shouldbeavoidedbecausetheycangenerallynotbedemonstratedtobeliterallytrueowingtothepresenceoftracecontaminantsandbackgroundlevelsofthesubstanceinquestionintheproduct.Amoreappropriateclaimisoneof‘noadded...’whichcanbeverifi