Founded in 1978, 
the Blue Angel is a traditional, publicly acknowledged climate impact label (Type I) with a life cycle perspective. The label is printed directly onto the product. Additional information on product performance can be found on the Blue Angel website. This label recently introduced four different specifications (clusters) for designating products: “Protects the climate”, “Conserves resources”, “Saves water” and “Protects health”.
Nevertheless, general minimum criteria on health and other environmental impacts (e.g. mercury-free TV sets) apply to all of the clusters. Certification is awarded by a stakeholder panel following discussion by a panel of experts. The climate protection label is currently available for 37, mostly consumer-oriented and climate-relevant product groups, including netbooks, DVD recorders/Blu-ray disc recorders, fridges and freezers, laundry dryers, washing machines, gas hobs, espresso machines, electric kettles and automatic master/slave power strips. Smart energy-saving technology with automatic power shut-off is a basic requirement for the award.
In the next three years, up to 100 product groups are planned to follow suit.
The label is only awarded to the top 20% products - approximately - on the market from a specific product group, provided the manufacturer applies for this voluntary label. Updates to the criteria are in planning and will be made increasingly regularly; the process is therefore dynamic, and works as a “top runner” program.
Feb 2010