The European Eco-labelling Board Marketing Management Group

Transcription

1 The European Eco-labelling Board Marketing Management Group Tuesday 11 December 2007, 10:00-13:00 Brussels BU5 - C Minutes KUODYTE LOEWE Maryte Czech Republic Ministry of Environment Joint Research Centre, Lithuania Christian FEA, Germany MARINUCCI Nicola DG ENV, EC m.kuodyte@aaa.am.lt Christian.loewe@uba.de Nicola.marinucci@ec.europa. eu MARONGIU Critina UEAPME, Belgium c.marongiu@ueapme.com MICHIELSSEN Jill DG ENV, EC jill.michielssen@ec.europa.eu MINESTRINI Stefania APAT, Italy stefania.minestrini@apat.it MøRCH Participants: ALSING Susan Ecolabelling Denmark sa@ds.dk COX Charles DEFRA, UK charles.cox@defra.gsi.gov.uk DE SOUSA Carla DGAE, Portugal Carla.pinto@dgae.mineconomia.pt PINTO DES ABBAYES Cécile Ecolabel Helpdesk ecolabel@biois.com ESKELAND Marianne SIS Ecolabelling, Norway mbe@ecolabel.no HAJEK Daniel Ministry of the Environment, daniel.hajek@env.cz ANDERSEN Søren Danish EPA san@mst.dk MUENCHMEYE R Tanja Ecolabel Helpdesk ecolabel@biois.com NYQVIST- KUUSOLA Leena SFS Ecolabelling, Finland leena.nyqvist-kuusola@sfs.fi PAKKONEN Irma Ministry of the Environment, Estonia Irma.pakkonen@envir.ee PETROVA Adela Czech Ecolabelling Agency adela.petrova@cenia.cz PROIA Patricia AFAQ AFNOR Certification, patricia.proia@afaq.afnor.org France SAHLEN Kerstin SIS Ecolabelling, Sweden kerstin.sahlen@sismab.se SAIFRID Petr Czech Ecolabelling Agency petr.saifrid@cenia.cz SCHOLTZ Henning RAL, Germany Henning.scholtz@ral.de TKACZYK Joanna Polish Centre for Testing & Certification WASILEWSKA Monika DG ENV, EC joanna.tkaczyk@pcbc.gov.pl Monika.wasilewska@ec.euro pa.eu 1/8

2 The Chair, Ms Stefania Minestrini from APAT, opened the meeting and the agenda was adopted. Adoption of previous Minutes The Minutes of the MMG meeting held on 25 September 2007 were adopted without change. Member State presentation of the Flower Month 2007 and other activities (CBs) Participants of the Flower Month In the Czech Republic different activities were organised for the Flower Month, such as competitions for consumers and cooperation events with the retailer Tesco. The cooperation with this retailer, who had demanded exclusivity for its activities, did not, however, prove as successful as expected: Ecolabelled products were supposed to be presented at stands in Tesco stores but there were not enough ecolabelled products available to be presented on these stands. Other activities included a workshop for teachers and communication about the Ecolabel to consumers. The Danish activities for the Flower Month 2007 with a focus on young people were described by the CB as quite successful. Given the target group, the campaign was internetbased and untraditional. Swan-labelled hairstyling products were used by hairdressers to style kids hair, photos were then taken and the best style could be voted for online. The Italian Environmental Protection Agency (APAT) aimed at strongly involving the media in their 2007 activities: Television and radio interviews as well as numerous articles in papers aimed at informing different Italian stakeholders about the European Ecolabel. As in 2006, APAT also worked in collaboration with the Regional Environmental Protection Agencies (ARPA) seminars and workshop have been carried out; in collaboration together with the retailer Esselunga who offered a 20% discount on ecolabelled products for one week in October. Sales figures of this campaign are not yet available but it was noted by other CBs that these could be helpful in convincing other retailers to agree to similar campaigns. Member States presenting other activities The Finnish CB sent over information brochures about the Nordic Swan and the EU Ecolabel to child health care centres in Finland. As the Finnish health system requires babies to be monitored on a regular basis, it is likely to reach a large number of families this way. The brochure includes information on ecolabelled products that are used by this type of consumer. The Swedish CB mentioned that knowledge about the EU Ecolabel has risen even though little marketing was done: according to a poll 14% of the participants do now know what the Ecolabel stands for. There are six ecolabelled European hotels available through Swedish travel agents and it was noted that this is very efficient marketing for the Flower as travel agents use the Flower as a selling point. Even though the Estonian CB did not directly participate in the Flower Month, it continued its ongoing efforts in distributing information about the EU Ecolabel and communicated with companies. As a result of these efforts, the first application has now been received. The Polish CB did not organise activities specifically for the Flower Month but reported on its ongoing activities to promote the EU Ecolabel: Conferences and fairs were noted to be a very useful tool in communicating about the Ecolabel and the CB tries to be present at as many conferences as possible to present the Flower. Furthermore it ensures that at training courses on ISO the EU Ecolabel is always presented to participants. Other activities include the targeting of readers of specialised journals, for example through the publishing of an article on the new soaps and shampoos product group in an English chemical markets journal. All these activities show a certain success with three new applications that are 2/8

3 expected to be awarded in late 2007 / January 2008: one for soaps and shampoos, one for all-purpose cleaners, and one for vacuum cleaners. The Ukraine who did not take part in the Flower Month, reported on the organisation of a 7- month green procurement campaign in small Ukrainian towns. A total of 8 seminars are organised by the CB with public authorities, companies and NGOs as participants. According to the CB, Ukranian consumers are beginning to show a strong interest in ecolabelled products. The French CB did not take part in the Flower Month but reported on its ongoing marketing activities for the Flower. During the French Pollutech fair in Paris, the prize for the best communication about the Ecolabel certification was awarded by the CB, a marketing activity that was highly appreciated by holders. In addition, further seminars and conferences were organised or attended. Unfortunately the event for the tourist accommodation group scheduled for 15 November had to be postponed to 2008 due to a strike by the French train company on the date scheduled. As already explained during the last MMG meeting, the UK CB who did not take part in the Flower Month, had to cancel its Ministerial presentation due to urgent obligations of the Minister. The CB, however, mentioned the Flower Month on its website. The Flower Month 2008 timing, participants, and targets The Chair opened the discussion about the Flower Month 2008 by saying that the Flower can always be promoted during the year but that it is important to concentrate a number of activities during one period in order to benefit from joint communication efforts. The Chair therefore proposed another Flower Month for 2008 during the same period as in 2007 from mid-september to mid-october. The period of a month is preferable to a week as it leaves time for CBs to adapt their activities to other national activities. The French CB noted that retailers want to communicate all-year round about their certification and not during a certain period and that because of the strong competition in this sector they do not want to declare in advance when exactly they will promote their ecolabelled products. The Chair noted that an on-going communication makes it difficult to get the media s attention as there is no special story to tell and the press will not re-use the same arguments in each article. The UK CB agreed in general to have a fixed period for special activities but noted that the timing in Autumn might not be ideal as most magazines publish articles about green issues in Spring. Furthermore if was argued that if a new logo is to be introduced in 2008, the Flower Month cannot be adapted in time and should in that case only again be held in Responding to this point the Chair added that the approval of any new logo would take a long time and communication efforts should not be stopped until then. The German CB noted that the Flower Month has no brand identity of its own and that a political campaign associated to it is necessary for it to have a real impact. According to this CB the Flower Month should be kept for 2008 but a more long-lasting concept is needed for the years afterwards and the political discussion needs to be initiated. It was furthermore mentioned that it is important to develop a job-sharing system where not every CB develops its marketing concepts individually. These basic concepts should rather be developed by the EC and then be provided to each CB that can adapt it to national demands. The budget of CBs is not sufficient to develop all of these concepts individually. In response to this the French CB stressed the individual needs of each Member State but agreed that countries could help each other by making available to their counterparts examples of press releases etc. It does, however, not see the possibility to develop a general advertising tool for all CBs. The Chair asked the CBs that were present to vote on the issues regarding the Flower Months 2008 discussed so far: The majority of CBs agreed to a Flower Month 2008 from mid- September to mid-october /8

4 Countries that agreed to participate: Countries not yet decided: Countries not participating: The Czech Republic Estonia Sweden Denmark France Finland Norway Germany Lithuania Italy Poland Portugal The UK Regarding ideas and target groups the Chair added that in the future it needs to be stressed that ecolabelled products can contribute to the reduction of CO 2 emissions. The Portuguese CB noted the recent Renova advertising which made this connection by saying More love, less CO 2 on their tissue paper adds on which the Flower was largely visible. The Chair added that the AEAT study on this called The direct and indirect benefits of the European Ecolabel is still available on the Europa website but that it would perhaps need updating. The Commission noted that a study is just about to start to produce a Carbon Footprint Measurement Toolkit for the EU Ecolabel.. The Norwegian CB added that the reduced CO 2 emissions are also more to be focused on during the revision process on criteria in order to see how to increase the reduction in energy use of products. The German CB noted that though this is a good focus, reference data is needed to communicate to consumers as pure data on CO 2 emission reductions per product is meaningless to most consumers. It proposed to start with the energy-using ecolabelled products as there has been a lot of press activity around these product groups and their producers are moving fast. The French CB noted that the French Energy and Environment Agency (ADEME) does not agree with the mono-criteria approach to these issues by looking solely at CO 2 emissions as this can be distorting: Products might have low CO 2 emissions but other strong environmental impacts. It therefore strongly proposed to communicate about reduced CO 2 emissions but also about the fact that the Flower is based on a multi-criteria system to which the Chair agreed. The Chair concluded that all CBs agree to further link a reduction of CO 2 emission with the EU Ecolabel. Regarding targets of the 2008 Flower Month, the Chair proposed local authorities as a target group as they need to be further informed about the presence of a market of green products. All CBs agreed to this target group. The German CB added that reaching small communities can take a long time and be costly and it might therefore be most efficient to start with the big governmental authorities. All this should be done in a media-relevant format and GPP and products should be combined. The Chair added that regarding international retailers the CBs should try to collaborate more widely. This should be discussed further in the next MMG meeting. Those CBs that participate in the Flower Month 2008 are requested to send detailed information about their planned activities as early as possible to the Helpdesk, at the latest one month before the beginning of the Flower Month. In addition to the above coordinated activities, the following CBs presented some of their 2008 strategies: The Finnish CB plans a new textile campaign for 2008, as usual both for the EU Ecolabel and for the Nordic Swan. There have been many articles published about the labels for 4/8

5 textiles and the CB sees a need to clarify what is the EU Ecolabel. Furthermore, following up the young children health care centre activities in 2007, the CB will cooperate with baby magazines. The Polish CB presented an Ecoradio activity for 2008, which comprises interviews about the Ecolabel that will be broadcasted on initially 11 radio stations. Furthermore there will be a bilateral programme with France in that the French CB will help to promote the Ecolabel in Poland and share its experiences. The French CB plans the development of a website called with all necessary information, such as guidelines, news, an agenda, etc. Furthermore it plans to organise a club meeting of all producers in France that were awarded either the national label NF Environnement or the EU Ecolabel. This could be an interesting platform for producers to exchange their experiences and to make potentially important business contacts. The Chair agreed to this point saying that some Italian ecolabelled tourist accommodations have already asked for details about the new soaps and shampoos product group and its holders. The Helpdesk added that if the first meeting of the club is to take place in September/October 2008, it might be a good idea to integrate it into the communication efforts of the Flower Month, to which the French CB agreed. Regarding 2008 activities, French CB added that the award for the best communication about the Ecolabel certification will be repeated in 2008; different activities for soaps and shampoos and perhaps another product group are planned as well as two conferences; and an event will take place during the Ecotourism fair which will also be the first meeting for the criteria revision working group. Presentation of the GPP toolkit (Jill Michielssen, EC) The draft communication on GPP is subject to inter-services consultation and is scheduled for adoption mid April The communication includes: 1) A definition of GPP as a process where environmental criteria are included in the technical specifications, selection and/or award criteria and/or contract performance clauses of a public procurement procedure 2) Indicative GPP targets for central and local government based on the rates of the best-performing MSs as developed in the 2005/06 study TAKE-5 study conducted for the EC. 3) Indicators to be employed 4) Legal and operational guidance. Legal guidance on how production processes can be included in tender specifications are important for Ecolabel criteria as they often address these processes 5) Information on the extent to which public purchasers can demand third-party verified proof 6) Criteria for 10 product groups that are recommended for technical specifications and award criteria 7) Information on the continuing process of criteria setting and the cooperation with MSs 8) Information on the consultation of the market place The EC added that a contract to promote the Ecolabel criteria within GPP was about to be signed that would include the presence at fairs and workshops. Following a question from the German CB, Mrs. Michielssen stressed that no work is being duplicated insofar as GPP criteria are not developed separately but are based on the Ecolabel criteria. The advanced criteria even refer to the full set of Ecolabel criteria. UEAPME added that it saw GPP targets mentioned as mandatory targets in a Working Programme 2008 and the EC clarified that mandatory targets would indeed be the most effective way of promoting GPP but that an extensive impact assessment of mandatory targets needs to be conducted before further steps can be taken. The German CB stressed that it should not only 5/8

6 be criteria that are harmonised but also communication efforts that should be synchronised. It stated that at least 50% of German local authorities procure in a green manner and that they need to be much better informed about the potential use of the Flower in GPP. Jill Michielssen stressed that on the 1 st page of the GPP criteria it always states that these are based on the EU Ecolabel criteria. Presentation of the Helpdesk of its 2007 achievements and activities for 2008 (Cécile des Abbayes) Please note that the full presentation is sent to all participants of the meeting together with this document. Following the presentation on the 2007 Helpdesk activities in 2007 and its proposals for 2008, the French CB asked whether the quiz can be used on the CBs websites which was confirmed by the EC. Regarding the 2008 activities, CBs were requested to send to the Helpdesk detailed information on their previous activities in schools should they have done any. Furthermore it was stressed that the remaining translations of the soaps & shampoos and heat pumps product group pages as well as the remaining phrases for the new GPP page on the e- catalogue need to be sent to the Helpdesk as soon as possible. This request concerns the following CBs: Bulgaria, Latvia, Malta, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Spain. The Chair noted its concerns about the fact that retailers have access to the back office of the e-catalogue which allows them to change information about their products. Theoretically holders can add products to their range that are in fact not (yet) certified. The Helpdesk noted that retailers have generally little interest in risking their communication advantage of having the European Ecolabel by adding a non-certified product to the e-catalogue. However, during the update on the information on retailers which took place in 2007 and which will be repeated in 2008, the Helpdesk will ensure that the product names on the e-catalogue will only include those which are certified. Furthermore it was mentioned that the planned technical overhaul of the e-catalogue will make it possible for the Helpdesk to receive an alert message each time that a holder has changed the information about its products and will therefore enable the Helpdesk to verify that these changes are correct. The Finnish CB added that the validity dates of criteria on the award tables need to be updated. The Danish CB stated that the activities of the Helpdesk were very helpful and that it would be useful to keep the CBs informed about them. Presentation of 2007 results of Ecolabel Lot 7 Marketing of products (Andreas Scherlofsky) Please note that the full presentation is sent to all participants of the meeting together with this document. Mr. Scherlofsky noted that the hand-out shown during the presentation will be sent out per mail together with a first draft of the strategy 2008 and will also soon be available online. It was furthermore mentioned that due to problems encountered with the promotion in Hungary, the budget allocated to this country was split and Poland was taken on board as another target country. It was noted that the presence of the Lot 7 team at the fair in Graz was especially successful thanks to the hired artists in Flower costumes that easily attracted the attention of visitors. Stickers were produced for products on which the Flower sign is very small. Retailers have showed strong interest in these stickers. For 2008 Mr. Scherlofsky would like to ensure representation in Norway as one of the target countries of the Lot 7 contract. The Norwegian CB will confirm whether this will be feasible. 6/8

7 The marketing guide developed by the Lot 7 team to promote the EU Ecolabel to new companies and to explain to current holders how to best make use of their certification will soon be available. Should CBs be interested in translating the guide it would be much appreciated. In this case please contact Andreas Scherlofsky on andreas.scherlofsky@energon.eu. Update on the work of the Flower logo The Commission stated that a communication company is currently working on proposals for a new logo with, looking at ways either to rework the current logo (looking at the possibilities of a logo similar to that used in the energy label) or to develop a completely new logo. The proposals will be sent to the members of the MMG in the New Year. It was stressed that no final decision on the reworking of the logo has been taken at EC level and that these were simply proposals for the discussion. Following the discussion during the last MMG meeting in September, the Czech CB contacted holders on this question and read out two opinions strongly against a new design of the logo. The French CB reported similar experiences with holders on this question. It furthermore mentioned that the Board of the French CB Afaq Afnor certification was astonished by the proposal. The Norwegian CB stated that its feedback from producers was that the Flower logo is actually more appreciated than the logo of the Nordic Swan and that it is perceived as quite clear as it shows immediately that it is European and related to nature. The Danish CB stated that one of the big Danish license holders, the baby and childrens wear producer Joha, is considering leaving the Flower scheme as according to them the marketing claims are not good enough and there is no simple and clear message about the advantages of Flower-labelled clothes. The Danish CB therefore voiced the opinion that all effort on the logo is not going to have a significant impact unless clear marketing messages are developed. The Danish CB added that the use of the logo is laid down in the Ecolabel Regulation and a new logo would therefore require a new Regulation which would take a long time. This also means that there would be a chance of the MSs rejecting the any new Regulation on this basis. The Chair added that the message from the entire MMG seems to be a very clear one, namely that it wants to keep the same logo and focus on the development of clear and strong messages that can be used in communication efforts. Proposal for a market indicator on market penetration at micro level (supply side) As the development of a measurement of the market penetration of Flower-labelled products based on the Combined Nomenclature (CN) Code will take time, the Chair proposed to use an indicator at micro level in the meantime: The number of Flower-labelled products of a holder as a percentage of his total production. This information is not currently available and as more and more holders extend their product range it could be a good indicator of the increasing importance of the Ecolabel. Furthermore this would be something that could easily be included in the notification forms. Any Other Business: The Commission noted that the comments on the two questions for the next Eurobarometer survey discussed during the last MMG on 25 September 2007 need to be sent to the Commission by mid-january. The Commission will send around the proposals once they have been received. The Danish CB added that in the long-run it is important to use the same questions every year in order to be able to compare their results. The Chair thanked everybody for their contribution and closed the meeting. 7/8

8 Follow-up: Task Actor Deadline Minutes Helpdesk For next meeting Prepare the next meeting Chair, Helpdesk, EC For next meeting Send information on previous CBs January 2008 school activities to the Helpdesk Comments on Eurobarometer CBs Mid-January 2008 survey questions Send Eurobarometer survey question proposals to MMG members Send remaining translations to the Helpdesk EC CBs named page 6 Once proposals are received ASAP 8/8