Ecological signs: description and photo

Probably, every day we meet packages with such familiar symbols as a "green dot", a triangle of arrows, a glass and 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 disclose their meaning, focusing on the most meaningful and interesting.

What is an ecological sign

Eco-signs are special symbols that are applied to products that are capable of damaging the surrounding nature during its production, operation, storage, disposal, etc. For the most part they are adopted internationally, internationally.

There are also signs of eco-labeling - graphic images that report the compliance of certain products with any safety standards for the consumer, the environment. Ecologically, it is also possible to call ethical signs - symbols that say that the product or product was produced without violating ethical norms - in this case excessive cruelty to someone. Organic signs are also eco-labels. They inform the consumer about environmentally friendly packaging, containing not less than 95% of natural ingredients.

Ecocertification marks also talk about:

• Purity of production;
• Absence of genetically modified components, chemical components;
• Non-use of animals for product testing;
• Respectful attitude to nature in the production of goods.

Ecological marks on the packaging of goods

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

1. "Green dot" (German Der Grune Punkt) - this symbol is found in green, white-green and black-and-white versions. He says that the packaging is suitable for recycling within the DSD ("Dual System"). The sign is also used on its products by companies that help the German recycling program Eco Emballage. In our country, this ecological sign also speaks about the possibility of re-use of packaging, but this practice is almost never used in Russia, which is why the "green dot" is useless.
2. "Recycled plastic" by its appearance symbolizes the cycle "creation - use - utilization". Symbol marked plastic products that can be processed in industrial plants. The numbers or letters next to this sign are the code of the substance from which the packaging is made (we will discuss them in detail in the next paragraph).
3. "Recycling" - the arrows, again, designate the cycle from production to disposal. The sign indicates that the packaging is recyclable or produced in this way.
4. "Throw it in the trash!" (English Keep your country tidy - "keep your country clean"); Other names of the ecological sign: "Thank you", "Do not litter", "Take care of cleaners", "Do not pollute nature!". Mark this product packaging symbol, which is mostly used on the street - soda, snacks, ice cream, etc.
5. "Glass and fork" - plastic packaging or container is not toxic, suitable for contact with food.
6. The "crossed-out garbage container" is a commodity, the packaging is not subject to general utilization. For further processing, it is necessary to deliver them to a special point where they take, for example, aged batteries and finger batteries. In our country today also in many cities plants are being established to recycle the products marked with this ecology sign.

Some alphabetic and numeric codes

Let's look at the alphabetic and digital notations of the ecological sign (pictured above) - "Recycled plastic".

Now let's move on to prohibiting ecological signs.

Prohibiting Eco Signs

There are two forbidding characters at the moment:

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

Ecological marks of conformity

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

1. Miljomarkt ("Scandinavian swan", "White swan") - products with this badge are guaranteed not to contain impurities harmful to the living organism, and their packaging is easily disposed of. The products marked with the "White Swan" correspond to rather rigid economics of the Scandinavian countries.
2. Mark ISO 14001 - companies that label their products with such a sign, convey to the consumer their commitment to following environmental standards.
3. "Green Seal" (English Green Seal) - a symbol of compliance with environmental standards adopted in the EU.
4. "ECO" is a sign on Kazakhstani export and import. He says that the production of this product occurred with minimal harmful influence on nature, and he himself is also quite safe. The symbol is labeled only products that have passed the three-stage special examination of compliance with the required standards.
5. "Blue Angel" - a sign of an environmentally friendly product, adopted in Germany.
6. Ecogarantie is a designation developed by the Belgian company of the same name for household chemistry, which meets the following requirements: only plant / mineral / organic components, lack of GMOs and petroleum products, environmentally friendly production, lack of animal testing, control of independent expertise.
7. The designation Eco Label is used in the EU only for goods considered to be dangerous, but produced in limited and under certain conditions.
8. QAI (Quality Assurance International) - this sign comes from the United States, but is used around the world; Has its own ISO 14001 standard. Companies corresponding to it are trying to minimize the harmful impact of their production on the environment.
9. Ozone Friendly CFC Free - aerosols with such an ecological sign do not contain substances that destroy the ozone layer of the Earth.
10. "Favorable choice for nature" - a symbol developed by the Swedish Society for Environmental Protection. They are labeled household chemicals, electrical goods, paper, passenger transportation, textiles, transport.
11. TCO - eco-label was developed by the Swedish Trade Union Confederation. The electronics labeled by him creates an acceptable non-hazardous level of magnetic and electrical interference, in the opinion of the Swedes, which adversely affect the human body.
12. AB (Agriculture Biologique) - own badge of the French Ministry of Agriculture. It is put only for the harvest, grown in accordance with all EU economists.

Russian Eco-Signs

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

1. "Eco-friendly product" is a symbol of the company of voluntary certification of Moscow of the same name. According to its rules, a sign is placed on agricultural products, produced with observance of all sanitary standards only from natural raw materials, and also to drinking water, completely safe for the consumer.
2. "Free from chlorine" - products whose production, processing or processing did not use chlorine-containing substances. Means compliance with GOST R 51150-98.
3. The symbol of the OS "MEF" - compliance with environmental requirements РОСС.RU.001.01.ЭТОО, the certification mark of the International Environmental Fund.
4. "Leaf of Life" is a voluntary eco-certification system developed by St. Petersburg experts from the Environmental Union - so far the only organization in the Russian Federation authorized to issue international certificates of this category.
5. "Environmentally safe product" - the logo uses the "21st Century Quality Sign" emblem, which is a symbol of the use of the newest technologies in production, the harmlessness of the products.

TK "Vegan"

The ecological sign of Vegan is the development of the charitable British vegan association Vegan Society, one of the most influential and respected in the world. He testifies to the lack of components of the product components of animal origin. This certificate is considered the most respected in England. Companies that put this mark on their products, for its use, regularly pay the contributions of the Vegan Society, which the company sends to charity.

Animal friendly sign

Another name for this environmental trademark is " Not tested for animals". They are marked by the so-called ethical cosmetics, whose manufacturers refused both from the use of animal components, and from testing of various raw materials and finished products on animals. This eco-label was approved by the British Union in 1998 - it was created against vivisection (lit. "cut through the living"). Buying goods with such a symbol, you can be sure that during its manufacture, no living being has suffered.

Panda WWF badge

The copyright holder of the Panda WWF sign is the World Wildlife Fund, which has more than 5 million followers in a hundred countries of the Earth. Their goal is to preserve the planet's biological diversity. The sweet panda has entered the top ten symbols of the millennium and is used by a number of trading companies that help a good cause.

Here, perhaps, and all the most common world environmental signs. Despite their apparent diversity, the goal of these symbols is one - to prevent the negative impact of mankind on a nature that is unprotected before it.