Accepted certificates

The Austrian Environmental Label stands for enhanced quality of life and environmental quality, clear and transparent information, high informative value, environmental policy under the personal responsibility of companies & organisations, cooperation at a high level with optimal service. The basis for this only state-controlled environmental quality label of a product is formed by guidelines with binding criteria. They are created with the involvement of environmental and technical experts and are revised every four years. The "life cycle approach" is applied. The environmental impacts during use, production and disposal are considered. The same applies to raw material and energy consumption, toxicity of ingredients, emissions, waste and recyclability, packaging, distribution and transport. In addition, quality and usability are tested, as well as safety, durability and ease of repair.

"It is the only, state-controlled environmental quality seal in Austria!"

https://www.umweltzeichen.at/en/home/start

Since the 1980s, the IBO test mark has been an independent orientation aid on the building product market. According to building biology and building ecology requirements, which take into account the entire life cycle of a product, building materials and interior fittings are holistically examined and evaluated.

The IBO label

- is a transparent confirmation of the health and building ecology product properties

- supplements quality assurance measures with health and building ecology aspects

- reveals ecological optimisation potentials of the production process

- supports the establishment of niche products on the market

- offers better consideration in building assessment systems such as TQB or klimaaktiv

https://www.ibo.at/en/

PEFC protects the forest. Consumers and companies can be certain that wood and paper products with the PEFC label come from forests that are actively managed in a sustainable and climate-friendly manner and worldwide.

• No more wood is felled than grows back.
• Where trees have been felled, they are replanted.
• The forest remains a safe habitat for animals and plants.
• The diversity of species in the forest is preserved.
• A sustainably managed forest is natural protection for water, soil and climate.
• You have the guarantee of the legal origin of the raw material wood.
• The high standards of occupational safety are observed in all forest work.
• Workers' rights are respected.
• Qualified personnel are employed in all work.
• The rights of the people who live from and/or depend on the forest are safeguarded.

https://www.pefc.at/pefc-international/

The nature plus® quality mark is an award for building products that meet the demand for sustainability through particularly high quality in terms of the environment, health and function.

The criteria are:

1. clean and efficient production
2. protection of the environment and health
3. sustainability of resources

The nature plus association is an association of building professionals (building material manufacturers, building material trade, building industry, planners and architects) with experts and organisations (environmental associations, consumer organisations and building biologists, trade unions and scientific institutes) in many European countries with the aim of providing information and education regarding the sustainability of building materials.

Our goal is to change building culture in Europe towards sustainability, climate and resource protection, environmental and health protection, circular economy and the protection of social human rights.

https://www.natureplus.org/index.php?id=1&L=2

The Blauer Engel has been the German government's environmental label for over 40 years. It independently identifies products that are more environmentally friendly than comparable conventional products. For the assessment, the eco-label takes a holistic view of the product life cycle - from production and use to disposal and recycling.

Criteria of Blauer Engel:

• Saving resources during production
• Manufacture from sustainably produced raw materials
• Use and disposal consume fewer resources, e.g. because they are energy-efficient
• Harmful substances for the environment or health are avoided or limited
• Durability and reparability
• Minimise emissions to soil, water, air or cause little noise
• Fulfil function (fitness for use) in high quality

https://www.blauer-engel.de/en

The principle of "cradle to cradle" stands for an eco-efficient production method and an ecologically intelligent product design.  Accordingly, "C2C products" are those that can either be returned to biological cycles as biological nutrients or continuously kept in technical cycles as "technical nutrients".

The "C2C certification" has been awarded since 2010 by the global non-profit organisation CradleToCradle Products Innovation Institute according to the 5 criteria:

• Material health
• Recyclability
• Renewable energies and climate protection
• Responsible use of water
• Social justice

www.c2ccertified.org

As an independent body, the Passivhausinstitut tests and certifies products with regard to their suitability for use in passive houses. Products that bear the "Passive House suitable component" certificate have been tested according to uniform criteria, are comparable in terms of their characteristic values and are of excellent energy quality.

Certified Passive House products enable users to determine and compare the relevant characteristic values of the products concerned. The criteria for products suitable for passive houses relate to the areas of:

• Living health and comfort ("comfort criteria")
• Energy balance in practical use ("Energy criteria")

www.passiv.de