Technical Information The Blue Angel
The world’s first eco-label
goes international
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The Blue Angel: an eco-label
with a holistic view
Who is behind the
Blue Angel?
Created in 1978, the Blue Angel has set high standards for a large variety of eco-friendly
The Blue Angel has a good reputation due to its credibility and competence, its objective
products and services. A product has to fulfill not just one but a number of criteria to
criteria, its institutionalised award process and its government base. Its independence
obtain the Blue Angel. The labeled product meets high environmental standards as well as
is guaranteed by four institutions:
standards of serviceability and health and occupational protection. In order to guarantee
The German Federal Ministry for the Environment (BMU) is the owner of the label. The
that the Blue Angel will continue to be found only on the best products and services,
Environmental Label Jury is the independent decision-making body composed of
the Basic Award Criteria are regularly updated. By staying up-to-date, the eco-label con-
representatives from environmental and consumer associations, trade unions, industry,
tributes to the development of innovative goods and services.
trade, crafts, local authorities, science, media, churches and the German Federal States
(Bundesländer). The German Federal Environment Agency (Umweltbundesamt) is the
office of the Environmental Label Jury responsible for developing the technical award
Benefits to climate and environment
criteria for the Blue Angel. The RAL gGmbH is the label-awarding agency.
E.g. Voice over IP-Phone:
Low power consumption
No mercury in the display
Easy to recycle
And 13 additional criteria
“The Blue Angel is a state institution backed by leading German environmental
bodies from all sections of society. That’s why we have absolute confidence in this
eco-label.”
Uwe Götze
Marketing Director Germany, Kyocera Document Solutions
The Blue Angel — a success story in Germany
Today, about 12,000 products and services from 1,400 companies
“The Blue Angel is a multidimensional label. It demands exacting requirements
of our products: not only minimal energy consumption, but also materials free from
harmful substances, recycling-friendly design in the interests of resource conser-
Excellent brand awareness of the Blue Angel in Germany with 76 percent *.
vation, and other relevant environmental and health properties—that’s why we hold
it in high regard.”
Vera Meyer
in 120 product categories carry the Blue Angel eco-label.
High trust: 39 percent of German consumers consider the eco-label in their
General Manager, Siemens Enterprise Communications
purchasing decisions *.
* Source: 2010 Survey on Environmental Awareness
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The international Blue Angel
Strengthening the international use of the Blue Angel
An international label from the very start, the Blue Angel logo has been modeled on
To support companies using the Blue Angel as an environment and climate protection
the UN symbol and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) logo. It has
label for communicating their sustainability on an international scale, the German Federal
a strong international impact and a high international credibility.
Ministry for the Environment funded the project “Strengthening the International Use of
the Blue Angel as a Climate Protection Label”. Companies taking part in the project by
promoting the Blue Angel in new markets are supported by the internationally renowned
Oeko-Institut and the communication agency .lichtl Ethics & Brands. The experts are investigating the potential of this climate- and eco-label as an instrument for fostering
sustainable consumption at an international level. The first projects have started in the
United Kingdom, in Turkey and in India.
In the last 35 years, numerous countries have used the Blue Angel scheme as a model
for their own environmental labelling scheme—thus it is one of the most influential role
models for product-related environmental protection worldwide. The specified product
standards are enjoying increasing attention abroad, especially in the Asian region,
“Heller Leder was the world’s first tannery awarded with the Blue Angel for low-
in Africa and Eastern Europe. That is why many research and development (R&D) and
emission upholstery leather. We now use the eco-label worldwide for our product
design departments from leading manufacturing and trading companies base their
marketing. And we recognize consistently that the German origin is a definite plus
product development on the Blue Angel and closely monitor its progress.
for our premium customers, particularly on the Asian and US markets.”
Frank Fiedler
The Blue Angel and the success of Green Economy
Germany is regarded abroad as one of the leading countries in the area of environmental
and climate protection. On its way to Green Economy, many eco-friendly innovations
have been launched. One example is the first Blue Angel awarded energy-conscious data
center in the world, developed and situated in Bremen, Germany. The eco-label also
plays an important role in the German environment policy and in the national sustainability
strategy, especially in the field of public procurement.
For over 35 years the Blue Angel has provided useful environmental information to consumers in Germany, making their daily choices a little easier. Its high credibility has helped
to promote sustainable consumption, not just in Germany, but in other countries too.
That might be the reason why 22 percent of the 1,400 companies using the Blue Angel are
foreign companies.
General Manager, Heller Leder GmbH & Co. KG
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The Blue Angel: a successful
tool for green marketing
How to obtain the
Blue Angel?
As a multiple-criteria based, third party eco-label according to ISO14024, the Blue Angel
The application procedure is verified by RAL gGmbH in Germany. Companies applying
is the perfect label for green marketing and sustainability communication. Label users can
for the Blue Angel do not have to be based in Germany. Required testing can also be
greatly improve their market opportunities in competition with others by making efficient
carried out by accredited testing institutes situated abroad. The application documents
and cost-effective use of the Blue Angel eco-label for sales promotion, public relations and
shall be submitted in German or English. Provided that all award conditions have been
brand communication purposes. This will help users benefit in multiple ways: The Blue
met, RAL gGmbH concludes a Contract on the Use of the Environmental Label with the
Angel has a positive impact on the purchasing decision of consumers and, thus, on sales
company. After signing the contract (either in German or English), the company may
figures. In the end, the overall company image will profit greatly from the high level of
use the Blue Angel in Germany as well as in any other country. Possible uses include la-
recognition and credibility of the world’s first eco-label.
beling of the product and on the packaging as well as use of the label in brochures and
in marketing campaigns. Rules of use are stated in the contract. The logo is available in
German or English. It can be obtained from the RAL gGmbH.
Costs for using the Blue Angel
“As a pioneer of Green IT we believe that information technology plays an important
role in sustainability. For our own sustainability, the certification of our data center
with the Blue Angel was an important step. The award is an approval of our active
responsibility towards the environment and our society. And an effective instrument
for our communication with customers in Germany and abroad.”
Harald Rossol
CEO, erecon AG
RAL gGmbH charges a one-time handling fee of 250 Euros (plus 19% German VAT if
applicable). Upon conclusion of a Contract on the Use of the Environmental Label, the
applicant has to pay a graded annual fee to RAL gGmbH. The amount of such fee
depends on the expected total annual sales of the respective product or service labeled
with the Blue Angel, irrespective of the number of countries in which the awarded product
is being marketed. The fee lies between 270 and 6,000 Euros (plus 19% German VAT
if applicable).
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Visit the Blue Angel online
To find out more about the Blue Angel,
please visit our website:
www.blue-angel-international.com
The Blue Angel on Facebook:
www.facebook.com/blauerengel
The Blue Angel on Twitter:
www.twitter.com/UmweltEngel
Project Team
Oeko-Institut e.V.
.lichtl Ethics & Brands GmbH
Institute for Applied Ecology
Rheingaustraße 4
P.O. Box 17 71
D – 65719 Hofheim a.T., Germany
Telephone +49 ( 0 ) 61 92 – 9 75 92-88
D – 79017 Freiburg, Germany
Telephone +49 ( 0 )7 61 – 4 52 95-244
Fax +49 ( 0 ) 61 92 – 9 75 92-99
Fax +49 ( 0 )7 61 – 4 52 95-288
Funded by:
Bundesministerium für Umwelt, Naturschutz und Reaktorsicherheit
(BMU, Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety)
BMU Klimaschutzinitiative (The Climate Initiative of BMU)
Concept & Graphic Design: .lichtl Ethics & Brands GmbH. Printed on recycled paper with the Blue Angel (RAL - UZ 14)