The Nordic Swan Ecolabel: Hard to get. Easy to choose.
You know how crowds of reporters seem to hold each single professional football player responsible when they lose a high profiled match – or even worse, when that lost match causes their club to move down a league?
The talking pair of jeans in The Nordic Swan Ecolabel campaign seems to be in a position just like. Since these jeans didn’t make it to the finals (represented by the Swan) it seems an invisible reporter is curious for a comment, approaching the jeans with a very big microphone.
These blue trousers could have chosen to respond in a humble way. They could have said something about The Nordic Swan Ecolabel being one of the world’s leading environmental certifications. Maybe something about how only true environmental champions are able to achieve a certification of this class. A promise to try harder and hopefully do better in the future would have been appropriate. Instead, the talking pair of jeans just returns with this bold counter question: “Since when did fashion need to last for more than one season?”
We all have the power to make changes
With a planet choking on chemicals the irony is quite clear. The consumer campaign launched by The Nordic Swan Ecolabel addresses an issue all too well known in the fashion industry: The power of fast fashion fueled by an apparently never ending demand for new wardrobe jewels. Or is it the other way around?
Interdependent as the forces of supply and demand are, the consumer campaign is here to remind you that you are not powerless. As a consumer and a citizen of this planet you do have the power to make changes. Your personal buying behavior does matter. Taking part in a movement fighting against fast fashion is powerful.
While governments and businesses need to do their part across the planet, the new Swan campaign is here to let us know that every single one of us have the power to contribute – and that finding our personal path in the jungle of greenwashing is much easier with The Nordic Swan Ecolabel as our guide.
Celebrating five years with the Swan
At COZE AARHUS we recently celebrated our five year anniversary as a company with The Nordic Swan Ecolabel onboard – an achievement that makes us proud and allows us to get our hopes up for the future within fashion. In the best of all worlds every single piece of clothing manufactured should be of a standard applaud by The Nordic Swan Ecolabel. Unfortunately, reality looks quite different.
As mentioned initially, the Swan is very hard to get. Being one of the world’s toughest and most recognized environmental certifications, the Swan enjoys increasing international demand. But what exactly is it that makes this certification so unique? What makes it stand out from other environmental certifications? In short: It’s holistic approach.
Life cycle assessment is key
Based on life cycle assessment with an overall goal to reduce the environmental impact from production and consumption of goods, The Nordic Swan Ecolabel drives sustainable development. Setting a high standard of tough requirements in all stages of a product’s life cycle and continuously tightening it is the foundation of – and what distinguishes – the Nordic Swan Ecolabel as an official, independent third party certification.
“At COZE AARHUS we have decided to offer products bearing The Nordic Swan Ecolabel in each of our collections. Getting a product certified with the Swan takes a lot of work and costs a lot of money. Naturally, this will be reflected in the retail price of the product and naturally, prize plays a part for most people when they go shopping,” says owner of COZE AARHUS, Lena Trend, ending the article with these words:
“We don’t find our Swan labelled items among our fastest selling products. However, what we do find is that these products contribute to an important dialogue. Furthermore, our Swan labelled products serve as tangible symbols of the continuous sustainability journey we’re on.”