Blue Angel

The Blue Angel ecolabel was established in 1978 on the initiative of the Federal Minister of the Interior and by resolution of the state environment ministers. Since then, the Blue Angel has been a market-based, voluntary instrument of environmental policy. Its scientific, holistic approach and its independence, thanks to the broad participation of experts and the trade community and the Environmental Label Jury, lay the foundation for the trust that consumers place in it. The Blue Angel standards provide clear guidance for manufacturers and retailers seeking to improve the environmental performance of their products and services. Consumers can use the Blue Angel as a guide in their purchasing decisions and consciously choose the better, more environmentally friendly alternative. The Blue Angel guarantees that the products and services meet high standards of environmental, health, and performance characteristics. The entire life cycle must always be considered in the assessment. Criteria are developed for each product group that products and services labeled with the Blue Angel must meet. To reflect technological developments, the Federal Environment Agency reviews the criteria every three to four years. This encourages companies to make their products increasingly more environmentally friendly.