This can be achieved when each product is assessed in the following five categories:

 

1. Raw materials

Extraction, cultivation, breeding, energy, working and social conditions, payment, environmental consumption, possibility of restoration of the original state of the environment, ....

 

2. Production

Energy, working and social conditions, stock breeding and animal welfare, payment, use of natural environmental, use of toxic substances, ability to repair, ...

 

3. Transport and Trade

Transport, distance and energy, animal welfare, payment, packaging, ...

 

4. Use

Conditions of use, energy consumption, durability, ...

 

5. Disposal

Return to the material cycle, energy consumption, possibility of recycling of product and packaging, ...

 

These represent the individual stages of the production, delivery and recycling chain and contain all the criteria required for the assessment of sustainability, implementation of the SDGs and climate protection.

 

 

 

The Structure of the Label

 

The structure of the label is simple. The assessment is made in five gradations from A (best) to E (worst). Each value has a color associated with it (gradations from A - green to E - red). A total value is possible, but not necessary. In this case, the worst single score would determine the total value. A product could receive the sustainability label if the assessment reaches certain minimum values.

 

The "Sustainable Product - Made in Europe" extension could become a globally recognized brand.

 

 

 

Conditions

 

A Sustainability Label for all products is suitable for initiating a paradigm shift both inside and outside Europe that directly promotes and facilitates the achievement of the EU’s sustainability, SDG implementation and climate protection goals.

 

However, the prerequisite for this is that the assessment and classification of a product is completely lobby-free, independent, and transparent on the basis of comprehensible data and criteria, as well as regular updating. The legitimate business interests of companies (e.g., trade secrets, protected production processes or materials) must be considered.

 

The indispensable basis is the political will. In addition to legislative measures, it is necessary to establish administrative structures for the testing and approval of products.

 

The Sustainability Label would affect all sectors of the economy equally and without discrimination, thereby promoting acceptance. Information events, spots in the (social) media or flyers can also contribute to this.

 

Of course, there are also costs for the introduction of a Sustainability Label. These include the one-off costs for the necessary structures and running costs for operation. For product manufacturers, it is the cost of the entire survey process (time, personnel, and material expenses) as well as the collection of data for product assessment. However, the use of data from other approval, certification and distribution processes can have a compensating effect.

 

Costs and expenses for product assessment can be a significant barrier to market entry for producers, particularly in countries in the global south. The system should therefore be set up by the industrialized nations, and measures must be developed to ensure that producers and suppliers in poorer countries can use it at low thresholds. This way, something is being done for a fairer world in the spirit of the SDGs.

 

 

Implementation

 

 

To simplify the assessment, existing or planned procedures (CO2 levy, existing product approval processes) can be used and extended, where necessary. The use of artificial intelligence (AI) is also conceivable by building a learning system that asks the right questions and calculates probabilities for unclear manufacturer information to determine the correct scoring values for a product.

 

The entire implementation must be planned and managed as a large-scale project. It is important to develop a timeline that measures project progress and achievement of goals.

 

There are several options for the launch itself:

 

• Begin with a voluntary labelling of products, and a survey of how the labelling is implemented on this basis.

• No obligation to participate immediately. However, participants gain a competitive advantage over non-participants because the label can be successfully positioned in marketing.

• At first, no use of state-run control instruments.

• Sectoral introduction, for example, start with the energy or food sector.

• Introduction by product groups.

• Best-Practice / Top Runner as a role model and orientation: It is determined which companies in the respective segment are the pioneers in terms of sustainability. The values achieved are taken as a guideline, and within a period to be determined, all others must achieve the same values (e.g., climate neutrality in transport).

• A "partial introduction" would also be conceivable, in which only one of the five assessment criteria would initially become valid.

 

The label should apply to all consumer and business products. Labels that are already in use today, or the results of the associated testing processes can be included in the overall assessment.

 

It would also make sense to support the implementation scientifically, for example by research institutes in the field of sustainability.

 

 

An Emotional Conclusion

 

A Sustainability Label for all products and the uniform testing process behind the label would be an innovative element that can change the role of the EU in the global economy. It is also a building block for entering a true circular economy. Achieving the SDGs will be easier, as all economic agents will be informed about the impact with each product decision and may be able to take advantage of alternatives if necessary.

 

We investors and consumers should be able to see immediately whether a product benefits the world or damages it.

 

We want products that are not produced at the expense of other people and the environment. We want farmers in the global south who produce and transport sustainably have a visible advantage. We would like to see an end to greenwashing and the beginning of a real "green" production. What we buy should last a long time and then be recyclable as much as possible.

 

A Sustainability Label shows us all this at a glance. The label would thus be a milestone on the way to a climate-neutral, sustainable, and just world and could become a real USP[1] for participating states.

 

We are offering our support to make the „Sustainable Product“ label a reality.

 

The following benefits can be achieved:

 

1. Investors and consumers are easily informed about the impact on sustainability, SDG targets, and climate protection when deciding to purchase a product. The way of information corresponds to today's methods.

 

2. Achieving sustainability, SDG and climate goals is encouraged. The label also addresses and includes consumers who have not yet been actively involved in sustainability. "Greenwashing" is prevented because negative aspects cannot be concealed.

 

3. Companies receive direct incentives through the product label to change product portfolios in favor of more sustainability, support of the SDGs and climate protection. Here, competition plays a major role: Those who do not adapt their products may lose customers to competitors who manufacture more sustainable products. A positive label becomes an advantage.

 

4. The state can use instruments via the assessments to make products proportionally more expensive that do not meet minimum requirements for sustainability, SDG targets and climate protection. Ultimately, it is an effective step to assign "environmental costs" of products directly to the respective product. Land and raw material consumption, climate effects and the degree of implementation of the SDGs become immediately recognizable and can be collected, for example, in the form of levies. These costs, in turn, can be directly influenced by the producers.