With so many confusing claims and buzzwords floating around, choosing building or renovation materials can feel like a full time job.
Eco labels are here to help. Think of them as a shortcut to smarter, more conscious decisions, so you can stay aligned with your values and your timeline.
Eco labels are independent certifications awarded to products that meet specific environmental or health-based criteria. These criteria might assess how a material is sourced, how much recycled content it includes, its impact on indoor air quality, or even how it can be disposed of at the end of its life.
Unlike generic terms like “eco-friendly” or “sustainable,” which are often used without proof, eco labels come from third-party organisations that follow defined standards and testing protocols. This makes them a trustworthy way to evaluate whether a product lives up to its sustainability claims.
These aren’t just fancy stamps, they’re evidence that someone has done the heavy lifting of checking the product’s impact for you.
Some well-known examples include:
Renovating or building is already a high-stress, high-decision process. You’re juggling deadlines, budgets, builder timelines, and Pinterest boards. Adding “deep-dive sustainability research” to that list can quickly become overwhelming.
That’s why eco labels are such a powerful tool for anyone who’s about the renovate or build a new home.
They help you:
It’s all about saving time and staying true to your values.
While eco labels are a helpful tool, it’s important to understand that some are more meaningful than others. A few things to look out for:
When in doubt, don’t be afraid to dig a little deeper or ask the supplier for details.
Here’s how you can practically apply eco labels during your build or renovation:
1. Set your material values first
Before choosing finishes or fittings, get clear on what matters most to you. Is it indoor air quality? Locally made materials? Carbon footprint? Your shortlist of values will guide which eco labels to look for.
2. Use labels as a filter
Once your values are defined, use eco labels to quickly assess if a product is worth further consideration. For example, if low VOCs are important, look for GECA- or Global GreenTag-certified paints or flooring.
3. Ask suppliers the fight questions
Don’t hesitate to ask:
“Does this product have any third-party environmental or health certifications?”
If the answer is no, that might be a red flag—or at least a prompt to research further.
To make things even easier, here’s a list of the eco labels I trust and recommend for homeowners choosing healthy, sustainable materials:
B Corp
B Corp Certification is a designation that a business is meeting high standards of verified performance, accountability, and transparency. www.bcorporation.net/en-us
Blue Angel certified – The German Ecolabel
The Blue Angel has been the ecolabel of the German Federal Government for more than 40 years. It sets stringent standards for environmentally friendly products and services. www.blauer-engel.de/en
Certified Label STEP Fair Trade Partner
Label STEP is a fair trade non-profit organisation committed to the wellbeing of weavers and workers in the hand made carpet industry. www.label-step.org
Chain of Custody certification
AS 4707 Chain of Custody certification ensures that wood or wood products are derived from forests managed in accordance with the principles of sustainable forest management.
Climate Neutral Certified
To become Climate Neutral Certified, a company must show that it is working to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions from making and delivering its products and services – and compensates for all of them, every year. www.climateneutral.org
Cradle to Cradle certified
The Cradle to Cradle Certified® Product Standard provides the framework to assess the safety, circularity and responsibility of materials and products across five categories of sustainability performance. www.c2ccertified.org
Declare label red list free
Declare is a nutrition label for building products. Manufacturers voluntarily disclose product information on easy-to-read Declare labels. These labels report all product ingredients and use a simple colour code system to flag chemicals of concern. www.declare.living-future.org
Environmental Certification Scheme (ECS) certified
An extension of the Australian Carpet Classification Scheme (ACCS), the Environmental Certification Scheme provides a guide to the environmental performance of carpets. www.www.carpetinstitute.com.au/environmental www.environmentalchoice.org.nz/
Environmental Product Declaration (EPD)
An Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) is a document that transparently communicates the environmental impact of a product or service throughout its entire life cycle. www.www.environdec.com www.epd-australasia.com
EU Ecolabel certified
The EU Ecolabel is recognized in all member states of the European Union, as well as Norway, Liechtenstein and Iceland. The voluntary label, introduced by an EU regulation in 1992 (Regulation EEC 880/92), has gradually become a reference point for consumers who want to help reduce pollution by purchasing more environmentally friendly products and services. www.eu-ecolabel.de/en
Fair Trade
Fairtrade changes the way trade works through better prices, decent working conditions and a fairer deal for farmers and workers in developing countries. www.fairtrade.net
FloorScore certified
FloorScore® is an indoor air quality (IAQ) certification standard for hard surface flooring materials, adhesives, and underlayments. www.scsglobalservices.com/services/floorscore
FSC (Forest Stewardship Council)
The FSC certification system verifies sustainable sourcing of forest products and ecosystem services at every step of the value chain, from forest to consumer. www.fsc.org/en
GECA certified (Good Environmental Choice Australia)
GECA standards are rigorous, scientific and relevant to key Australian industries. They show a product is better for the environment, has a lower impact on human health and has been ethically made. www.geca.eco
Global GreenTag
Global GreenTag’s globally trusted certification standards are recognized in Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, South Africa, Africa and SE Asia elsewhere and in over 70 other countries. They score products against six main Sustainability. www.globalgreentag.com
Global Recycled Standard (GRS) certified
The Global Recycled Standard (GRS) is a voluntary product standard for tracking and verifying the content of recycled materials in a final product. www.scsglobalservices.com/ services/global-recycled-standard
GoodWeave International
The GoodWeave label is the best assurance no child, forced or bonded labour was used in the making of a certified product, and it also means your purchase supports programs that educate children and improve working conditions for adults in producer communities. www.goodweave.org
GOTS certified
This standard stipulates requirements throughout the supply chain for both ecological and labour conditions in textile and apparel manufacturing using organically produced raw materials. www.global-standard.org
Green Square Certification
Green Squared® involves one industry, one standard, and one mark and covers the gamut of products used in a tile installation. www.greensquaredcertified.com
Green Wise certified
Products bearing the Green Wise label have been tested to meet or exceed the VOC requirements of LEED® for most applications. www.greenwisepaint.com
GREENGUARD Certified
Products that have achieved GREENGUARD Certification are scientifically proven to meet some of the world’s most rigorous third party chemical emissions standards, helping to reduce indoor air pollution and the risk of chemical exposure, while aiding in the creation of healthier indoor environments. www.ul.com/resources/ul-greenguard-certification-program
Health Production Declaration (HPD)
Today, manufacturers at the forefront of Green Building are providing full transparency about their products’ ingredients. Material Health is now seen as an essential part of leadership in green building projects. www.hpd-collaborative.org
Indoor Advantage Gold
SCS Indoor Advantage is a certification program developed by SCS Global Services that appraises the VOC emissions of furniture and interior building materials. www.scsglobalservices.com/services/indoor-air-quality-certification
National Asthma Council Australia – Sensitive Choice
The National Asthma Council Australia created the program to help people identify products and services that are asthma and allergy-aware, through the trusted blue butterfly. www.sensitivechoice.com
Nordic Swan certified
Nordic Eco labelling works sets strict environmental requirements in all relevant phases or a product’s life cycle. www.nordic-ecolabel.org
OEKO-TEX certified
If a textile article carries the STANDARD 100 label, you can be certain that every component of this article, i.e. every thread, button and other accessories, has been tested for harmful substances and that the article therefore is harmless for human health. www.oeko-tex.com/en/our-standards/oeko-tex-standard-100
PEFC certified (Program for the Endorsement of Forest Certification)
PEFC, the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification, is a leading global alliance of national forest certification systems. www.pefc.org
Responsible Wood Certified
Responsible Wood chain of custody certification is available worldwide and open to all companies that manufacture, process, trade or sell forest-based products. www.responsiblewood.org.au
The Carpet & Rug Institute’s Green Label
Green Label program tests carpets, cushions, and adhesives to help specifiers identify products with very low emissions of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs). www.carpet-rug.org/testing/green-label- plus
Eco labels aren’t a magic solution and they don’t eliminate the need for your own thoughtful decisions, but they do offer a powerful shortcut to help you make healthier, more sustainable choices with less stress.
By knowing what to look for and who to trust, you can save time, avoid greenwashing, and bring your values to life in your home.
A 5-minute weekly email to help architects and designers choose sustainable and healthy materials with clear pros and cons, without the sales pitch.
Independent. Product-agnostic. Practical.
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@eco_edition
A 5-minute weekly email to help architects and designers choose sustainable and healthy materials with clear pros and cons, without the sales pitch.
Independant. Product-agnostic. Practical.
