Environmental signs: description and photo

Probably, every day we come across packages with such familiar symbols - a “green dot”, a triangle of arrows, a glass and a fork, a person throwing garbage into a container, etc. All of the above are environmental signs designed to convey important information to the consumer . In this article we will reveal their significance, focusing on the most informative and interesting.

What is an environmental mark

Eco-signs are special characters that apply to products that can harm the environment during its production, operation, storage, disposal, etc. For the most part, they are accepted internationally and internationally.

There are also signs of environmental labeling - graphic images that indicate the compliance of certain products with any safety standards for consumers and the environment. Ethical signs can also be fully called environmental - symbols that indicate that a product or product was produced without violating ethical standards - in this case, excessive cruelty to someone. Organic signs are also eco-labels. They inform the consumer about environmentally friendly packaging, the content of at least 95% of natural components.

Signs of eco-certification also indicate:

• clean production;
• the absence of genetically modified components, chemical components;
• not using animals to test the product;
• respect for nature in the production of goods.

Environmental labels on the packaging of goods

Consider the signs that reveal to the consumer additional information about the packaging:

1. "Green dot" (German Der Grune Punkt) - this symbol is found in green, white-green and black and white. He says packaging is suitable for recycling under the DSD (“Dual System”). The sign is also used on their products by companies that help the German Eco Emballage recycling program. In our country, this environmental label also indicates the possibility of recycling packaging, but this practice is almost never used in Russia, which is why the green dot is useless here.
   
2. "Recyclable plastic" in its appearance symbolizes the cycle of "creation - use - disposal". The symbol marks plastic products that can be recycled at industrial plants. The numbers or letters next to this sign is the code of the substance from which the package is made (we will analyze them in detail in the next paragraph).
   
3. "Recycling" - arrows, again, indicate the mentioned cycle from production to disposal. The sign indicates that the packaging is recyclable or was made in this way.
   
4. "Throw in the trash can!" (Eng. Keep your country tidy - "keep your country clean"); other names of the ecological sign: "Thank you", "Do not litter!", "Protect the work of cleaners", "Do not pollute the nature!". Labeled with this symbol packaging products that are mostly consumed on the street - soda, snacks, ice cream, etc.
5. "Glass and fork" - plastic packaging or container is non-toxic, suitable for contact with food.
6. Crossed-out garbage container - goods, packaging are not subject to general disposal - for subsequent processing, they must be delivered to a special point where, for example, batteries, finger batteries are used. In our country, today also in many cities, factories are set up to work, which are designed to recycle products marked with this eco-sign.

Some alphanumeric codes

Let’s take a look at the alphanumeric designations of the ecological sign (pictured above) - “Recyclable plastic”.

Now let's move on to prohibiting environmental signs.

Prohibitory Eco-Signs

There are currently two prohibition characters:

• Sea cargo dangerous for underwater inhabitants.
• A product that carries a danger to the environment is a sign adopted in the European Union.

Environmental Conformity Marks

And now the signs indicating the conformity of the goods, packaging to any standards:

1. Miljomarkt ("Scandinavian Swan", "White Swan") - products with this icon are guaranteed to contain no impurities harmful to the living organism, and their packaging is easy to dispose of. Products marked with the "White Swan" correspond to the rather stringent eco-standards of the Scandinavian countries.
   
2. ISO 14001 mark - companies that mark their products with this mark convey to the consumer their commitment to environmental standards.
   
3. The Green Seal is a symbol of compliance with EU environmental standards.
   
4. "ECO" is a sign on Kazakhstani export and import. He says that the production of this product took place with minimal harmful effects on nature, and he himself is also completely safe. The symbol marks only products that have passed a three-stage special examination of compliance with the required standards.
   
5. "Blue Angel" - a sign of environmentally friendly product, adopted in Germany.
   
6. Ecogarantie is a design developed by the Belgian company of the same name for household chemicals that meets the following requirements: only plant / mineral / organic components, the absence of GMOs and petroleum products, environmentally friendly production, the absence of animal experiments, and control of an independent examination.
   
7. The Eco Label designation is used in the EU only for products deemed hazardous, but produced within limited limits and under certain conditions.
   
8. QAI (Quality Assurance International) - this mark comes from the United States, but is used around the world; has its own standard ISO 14001. Companies corresponding to it try to minimize the harmful effects of their industries on the environment.
   
9. Ozone Friendly CFC Free - aerosols with such an environmental mark do not contain substances that destroy the ozone layer of the Earth.
   
10. “A favorable choice for nature” - a symbol developed by the Swedish Environmental Protection Society . It marks household chemicals, electrical goods, paper, passenger transport, textiles, transport.
    
11. TCO - ekoznak was developed by the Swedish Confederation of Trade Unions. Labeled electronics creates an acceptable safe level of magnetic and electrical interference, according to the Swedes, adversely affecting the human body.
    
12. AB (Agriculture Biologique) - own badge of the French Ministry of Agriculture. It is placed only on crops grown in accordance with all EU eco-standards.

Russian eco-signs

We will analyze the environmental signs and rules adopted in the Russian Federation:

1. "Eco-friendly product" - the symbol belongs to the self-titled company of voluntary certification in Moscow. According to its rules, the sign is placed on agricultural products manufactured in compliance with all sanitary standards only from natural raw materials, as well as on drinking water that is completely safe for the consumer.
2. “Chlorine-free” means products in which chlorine-containing substances have not been used in the manufacture, processing or processing. Means compliance with GOST R 51150–98.
   
3. The symbol of the MEF OS is compliance with the environmental requirements of ROSS.RU.001.01.ETOO, a certification mark of the International Ecological Fund.
4. Life Leaflet, a voluntary eco-certification system developed by St. Petersburg experts from the Ecological Union, is by now the only organization in the Russian Federation authorized to issue international certificates in this category.
   
5. “Environmentally friendly product” - the emblem of the “21st Century Quality Mark” is used in the drawing, which is a symbol of the use of the latest technologies in production, and the safety of products.
   

TK "Vegan"

The Vegan environmental label is the development of the British vegan charity Vegan Society, one of the most influential and respected in the world. It indicates the absence of components of animal origin in the number of product components. This certificate is considered the most respected in England. Companies that use this label on their products regularly list Vegan Society contributions for its use, which the company sends to charity.

Animal friendly sign

Another name for this environmental trademark is " Not tested for animals." He notes the so-called ethical cosmetics, the manufacturers of which refused both the use of animal components and the testing of various raw materials and finished products on animals. This eco-sign was approved by the British Union in 1998 - it was created against vivisection (lit. "cut to life"). When buying a product with such a symbol, you can be sure that during its manufacture no living creature was harmed.

WWF Panda Badge

The copyright holder of the Panda WWF mark is the World Wide Fund for Nature, with more than 5 million followers in one hundred countries on Earth. Their goal is to preserve the biological diversity of the planet. The cute panda is among the ten symbols of the millennium and is used by a number of trading companies that help the good cause.

Here, perhaps, are all the most common global environmental signs. Despite their apparent diversity, the purpose of these symbols is the same - to prevent the negative impact of mankind on the defenseless nature before him.