(2) set requirements to ensure that the ingredients are biodegradable and will not persist in water;
(3) recognise and reward products with restricted use of hazardous substances;
(4) set requirements to allow the maximum usage of the product contained in a container, promote the minimisation of use of packaging material and promote plastics recyclability;
(5) recognise and reward products containing renewable ingredients from sustainable origin;
(6) guarantee that the product meets certain quality requirements and user satisfaction;
(7) set a requirement to inform consumers on the environmental benefits associated with the product, in order to encourage its purchase.
The criteria for awarding the EU Ecolabel to ‘cosmetic products’ are the following:
(1) toxicity to aquatic organisms: Critical Dilution Volume (CDV) of rinse-off products;
(2) biodegradability of rinse-off products;
(3) aquatic toxicity and biodegradability of leave-on products;
(4) excluded and restricted substances;
(5) packaging;
(6) sustainable sourcing of palm oil, palm kernel oil and their derivatives;
(7) fitness for use;
(8) information on EU Ecolabel.
Assessment and verification
a)
Requirements
Specific assessment and verification requirements are indicated within each criterion.
Where the applicant is required to provide declarations, documentation, analyses, test reports, or other evidence to show compliance with the criteria, these may originate from the applicant and/or his/her supplier(s) and/or their supplier(s), etc. as appropriate.
Competent bodies shall preferentially recognise attestations which are issued by bodies accredited in accordance with the relevant harmonised standard for testing and calibration laboratories and verifications by bodies that are accredited in accordance with the relevant harmonised standard for bodies certifying products, processes and services.
Where appropriate, test methods other than those indicated for each criterion may be used if the competent body assessing the application accepts their equivalence.
Where appropriate, competent bodies may require supporting documentation and may carry out independent verifications or site inspections to check compliance with these criteria.
Changes in suppliers and production sites pertaining to products to which the EU Ecolabel has been granted shall be notified to competent bodies, together with supporting information to enable verification of continued compliance with the criteria.
As a prerequisite the product shall meet all applicable legal requirements of the country or countries in which the product is placed on the market. The applicant shall declare the product's compliance with this requirement.
The Appendix makes reference to the ‘Detergent Ingredient Database’ list (DID list) which contains the most widely used ingredients in detergents and cosmetics formulations. It shall be used for deriving the data for the calculations of the Critical Dilution Volume (CDV) (criterion 1), for the assessment of the biodegradability (criterion 2) of the ingoing substances and for the assessment of the biodegradability and aquatic toxicity of leave-on products (criterion 3). For substances not included in the DID list, guidance is given on how to calculate or extrapolate the relevant data. The latest version of the DID list is available from the EU Ecolabel website (1) or via the websites of the individual competent bodies.
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