5 Eco Labels You Need To Know

There is a lot of information about at the moment surrounding eco friendly products and products that support sustainability. It’s great to see so many people getting on board with finding sustainable and eco friendly alternatives. But with so many companies and products claiming to be good for the environment how can we establish what products are in fact eco friendly and not skirting around the truth?

Whilst there is a lot of information out there I personally do not feel that there is enough. We are not getting the information in front of the maximum amount of people possible. So I put together a little eco label guide.

One of the best ways to find out whether a product is sustainable is to look out for the various eco labels that products will have on their packaging. There are many labels to look out for depending on your particular lifestyle. However, these are some of the biggest ones to look out for that confirm that the products are being created or harvested in a sustainable way with conservation in mind.

Dolphin Safe:

This label is applied to tuna products that have not used harmful netting or encircling of dolphins as their farming methods during procurement. If you are a big tuna fan then please ensure that your tuna has this label.

Marine Stewardship Council (MSC):

This label is applied to fisheries and must adhere to three requirements –

1- Have sustainable fish stocks

2- Minimise environmental impact

3- It should be managed effectively and meet the local and National legal standards.

Rainforest Alliance Certified:

This label meets good environmental and workers rights standards. Many common products that will have this label are chocolate, coffee, flowers and even toilet paper. If you love chocolate like I do then please look for this label.

RSPO Certified Sustainable Palm Oil:

Palm oil has been reported a lot lately. Many people don’t understand the impact it has on deforestation. The use of palm oil is an important and current issue. There is a lot of unsustainable destruction of rainforests happening in the name of expanding palm oil plantations. This in turn is leading to the rapid destruction of various species around the world. It is estimated that around 80% of Orangutans natural habitat has been destroyed because of this. The RSPO eco label indicates that a product is using palm oil from sustainable and environmentally friendly sources. This label can be found in a variety of food and beauty products.

Soil Association Organic Standard:

Set by the soil association and products that meet this standard are required to adhere to non-intensive and sustainable farming practices. The products cover a range of cosmetics, textiles, food and beverage items. So look out for this label everywhere.

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Creating a fully sustainable planet should be one of the highest priorities on all governments lists. But not only should they be advancing on making our planet more sustainable we should be too. If we as individuals could all pay more attention to our lifestyle then perhaps we can save our planet from destruction and keep its heart beating for many generations to come.

As a mother myself the thought of the way our planet is rapidly changing due to the way we live is honestly terrifying. At this rate my grand children will be living a very different life to me in a much more unstable world. Don’t we want to provide a secure and stable planet for our future generations? I will leave you with that statement and question because I think it speaks for itself. We all need to be more mindful of our environment.

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Charlotte Fay is a Conservationist, Freelance Writer and Poet from Kent, UK. You can find her on Instagram: @charlofay and her books are available from Amazon in paperback and ebook.