From: "steve hartwell" <steve.hartwell@canrem.com>
Newsgroups: talk.environment
Subject: envior choice 1/2
Date: 12 Aug 92 10:35:34 EST
Reply-To: "steve hartwell" <steve.hartwell@canrem.com>
Distribution: talk
Organization: Canada Remote Systems

The Environmental Choice program was created by the Canadian
government to help consumers find products which ease the burden on
the environment.  The EcoLogo, three doves intertwined to form the
shape of a maple leaf, is the symbol which appears on goods and
services certified by the program as environmental choices. This
symbol assures consumers that a product has been found to meet the
product-specific criteria developed by Environmental Choice.
Products ranging from reusable cloth diapers to reduced-pollution
paint, from recycled motor oil to composting systems are identified
by the EcoLogo.

GENERAL INFORMATION ON ENVIRONMENTAL CHOICE

What is a good environmental choice?

Any product which is made, used or disposed of in a way that
significantly reduces the harm it would otherwise cause the
environment could be considered a good environmental choice.  For
example, a product may be certified because it is made in a way
that improves energy efficiency, reduces hazardous by-products,
uses recycled materials, or because the product itself can be
reused, or is, in some other way, environmentally sensitive.

A brief statement of the reasons why a particular product has been
certified accompanies the EcoLogo on the package label. A full
description of the criteria for certification, specific to each
type of product, is contained in the Environmental Choice
guidelines.

Who sets the criteria for certification?

The Environmental Choice Board sets the criteria. The Board is
composed of sixteen men and women from across Canada, appointed by
the federal Minister of Environment to manage the program at arm's
length from government.  The membership brings to the task
expertise in a range of fields including health care, environmental
science, retailing, economics, manufacturing and environmental law.
The Board is served by a secretariat within Environment Canada
which has contracted the assistance of the Canadian Standards
Association (CSA).

How are the criteria set?

The development of Environmental Choice criteria begins with the
preparation of a briefing report on the product type in question
for review by the Board. Each report contains a review of research
on the product's environmental impacts, an industry profile and an
assessment of the consumer market for the product. This report
spans the product's life-cycle (production, transportation, use and
disposal), and focuses on opportunities to achieve significant
reductions in the burden it places on the environment.

Based on these findings, the CSA, with the assistance of a
voluntary technical committee, drafts a set of criteria for
consideration by the Board. Upon the Board's approval, the draft
criteria are released for public comment for a period of 60 days.
This is the Board's opportunity to hear from manufacturers,
environmentalists, consumers and any member of the public with
suggestions as to how to improve the substance of the criteria.

After considering the comments received during the public review,
the Board revises the guidelines, if necessary, and recommends the
final guidelines to the Minister of Environment.  Notification of
the completion of guidelines is published in the Canada Gazette,
under the authority of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act
(CEPA), and is also announced in the Environmental Choice
newsletter as well as in the Globe and Mail and Le Devoir. As soon
as a guideline is final, it's draft version in the WEB topic for
that product category is replaced with the final guideline. (Topics
containing a final guideline are distinguished with an "F" in their
title.)

The criteria set out in the Environmental Choice guidelines are
based on the best information available at the time and will be
upgraded as new information and technology make higher standards
possible.  The criteria stipulate that all products must continue
to meet all applicable safety and performance standards, in other
words, be as good in every other respect as is generally expected
of products of that type.

 continued in 2/2 message....
---
  ACCESS/MAIL 1.00 #0274  CANBUILD - THE Construction Conference
--
Canada Remote Systems  - Toronto, Ontario/Detroit, MI
World's Largest PCBOARD System - 416-629-7000/629-7044
Newsgroups: talk.environment