HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN"L 326/38
EN
Official Journal of the European Union
24.11.2012
COMMISSION DECISION
of 14 November 2012
establishing the ecological criteria for the award of the EU Ecolabel for Industrial and Institutional
Laundry Detergents
(notified under document C(2012) 8055)
(Text with EEA relevance)
(2012/721/EU)
THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION,
products that are dosed by carriers such as sheets, cloths or
other materials, as well as washing auxiliaries used without
Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European
subsequent washing, such as stain removers for carpets and
Union,
furniture upholstery.
Having regard to Regulation (EC) No 66/2010 of the European
Parliament and of the Council of 25 November 2009 on the EU
Consumer laundry detergents are excluded from the scope of
Ecolabel (
this product group.

1 ), and in particular Article 8(2) thereof,
After consulting the European Union Eco-labelling Board,
Article 2
Whereas:
In order to be awarded the EU Ecolabel under Regulation (EC)
No 66/2010, an item of laundry detergent shall fall within the
(1) Under
Regulation
(EC)
No
66/2010,
the
EU
Ecolabel
may product group ‘Industrial and Institutional Laundry Detergents’
be awarded to those products with a reduced environ
as defined in Article 1 of this Decision and shall comply with
mental impact during their entire life cycle.
the criteria as well as the related assessment and verification
(2) Regulation
(EC)
No
66/2010
provides
that
specific
EU requirements set out in the Annex to this Decision.
Ecolabel criteria are to be established according to
product groups.
Article 3

The criteria for the product group ‘Industrial and Institutional
(3)
The criteria, as well as the related assessment and verifi
cation requirements, should be valid for four years from
Laundry Detergents’, as well as the related assessment and verifi
the date of adoption of this Decision.
cation requirements, shall be valid for four years from the date

of adoption of this Decision.
(4) The
measures
provided
for
in
this
Decision
are
in
accordance with the opinion of the Committee estab
Article 4
lished by Article 16 of Regulation (EC) No 66/2010,
For administrative purposes the code number assigned to the
HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:
product group ‘Industrial and Institutional Laundry Detergents’
shall be ‘039’.
Article 1
Article 5
The product group ‘Industrial and Institutional Laundry Deter
gents’ shall comprise: laundry detergent products performed by
This Decision is addressed to the Member States.
professional users in the industrial and institutional sector.
Included in the product group are multi-component-systems
constituting of more than one component used to build up a
Done at Brussels, 14 November 2012.
complete detergent or a laundering program for automatic
dosing system.
For the Commission
This product group shall not comprise products for obtaining
textile attributes such as water-repellent, waterproof or fire
Janez POTONIK
proof, etc. Furthermore, the product group shall not comprise
Member of the Commission
( 1 ) OJ L 27, 30.1.2010, p. 1.

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EN
24.11.2012 Official
Journal
of
the
European
Union L
326/39
ANNEX
FRAMEWORK
The aims of the criteria
The criteria aim, in particular, at promoting products that have a reduced impact on aquatic ecosystems, contain a limited
amount of hazardous substances and whose performance has been tested. The criteria furthermore aim at reducing the
energy consumption from laundering by promoting products that are efficient at lower temperatures.
CRITERIA
Criteria are set for each of the following aspects:
1. Product and dosage information
2. Toxicity to aquatic organisms: Critical Dilution Volume (CDV)
3. Biodegradability
4. Excluded or limited substances and mixtures
5. Packaging requirements
6. Washing performance (fitness for use)
7. Automatic dosing systems
8. User information — Information appearing on the EU Ecolabel
(1) Assessment and verification
(a) Requirements
The specific assessment and verification requirements are indicated within each criterion.
Where the applicant is required to provide declarations, documentation, analyses test reports, or other evidence to
show compliance with the criteria, it is understood that these may originate from the applicant and/or his supplier(s)
and/or their supplier(s), et cetera, as appropriate.
Where possible, the testing should be performed by laboratories that meet the general requirements of EN ISO 17025
or equivalent.
Where appropriate, test methods other than those indicated for each criterion may be used if the competent body
assessing the application accepts their equivalence.
Appendix I makes reference to the detergent ingredient database (DID list) which contains the most widely used
ingoing substances used in detergent formulations. It shall be used for deriving the data for the calculations of the
Critical Dilution Volume (CDV) and for the assessment of the biodegradability of the ingoing substances. For
substances not present on the DID list, guidance is given on how to calculate or extrapolate the relevant data.
The latest version of the DID list is available from the EU Ecolabel website or via the websites of the individual
competent bodies.
Where appropriate, competent bodies may require supporting documentation and may carry out independent verifi
cations.
(b) Measurement thresholds
Compliance with the ecological criteria is required for substances intentionally added, as well as for by-products and
impurities from raw materials, the concentration of which equals or exceeds 0,010 % by weight of final formulation.
For biocides, colouring agents and fragrance compliance with the criteria is required regardless of their concentration.
Substances meeting the threshold limit as listed above are hereby referred to as ‘Ingoing substances’.
For all products: it is the highest total dosage recommended for the individual degree of soiling which must comply
with the ecological criteria. If the dosage is stated in intervals the worst case dosage must be used when the criterions
are assessed.

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L 326/40
EN
Official Journal of the European Union
24.11.2012
(2) Functional unit
The functional unit for this product group shall be expressed in g/kg laundry (grams per kilo laundry).
Requirements relating to assessment and verification of the functional unit:
The full formulation indicating trade name, chemical name, CAS No, DID No (*), the ingoing quantity including and
excluding water, the function and the form of all the ingoing substances (regardless of concentration) in the product shall
be submitted to the competent body. A sample of the artwork including dosage recommendations must be submitted to
the competent body.
Safety data sheets for each ingoing substance shall be submitted to the competent body in accordance with Regulation
(EC) No 1907/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council ( 1 ).
Part A and Part B of the DID list can be found on the EU Ecolabel website:
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/ecolabel/documents/did_list/didlist_part_a_en.pdf
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/ecolabel/documents/did_list/didlist_part_b_en.pdf