Stefania Fusani, Piera Pellegrino, Astrid Raudner
EU Ecolabel is the voluntary eco-label of the European Union, governed by Regulation (EC) no. 66/2010 and subsequent amendments, which distinguishes products and services characterized by a reduced environmental impact during the entire life cycle, while guaranteeing high performance standards. The indicator shows the number of certifications in force issued by the competent Italian body to companies applying for their products and services, which stand out on the Italian market for their attention to the environment and consumers. The number of licenses and products/services increased in the period from 1998 to 2025. In 2025, there are 585 EU Ecolabel licenses in force in Italy, for a total of 19,218 certified products/services, distributed across 18 active groups of products/services.
Licenses and products/services certified with the EU Ecolabel can be considered as a response indicator. It represents "the offer of products/services with reduced environmental impact" by companies and, consequently, the request for "more sustainable consumption" by consumers, thus highlighting the environmental sensitivity of both the production sector and the consumer. The total number of EU Ecolabel licenses does not always correspond to the total number of EU Ecolabel certified companies as a company can obtain multiple licenses for different product groups. In fact, licenses are issued by type of EU Ecolabel product group and not by company. Each license granted is associated with one or more certified products/services. Products certified with the EU Ecolabel have a reduced environmental impact throughout their life cycle as they meet criteria based on Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) studies, maintaining both performance and environmental characteristics high. The EU Ecolabel promotes products that: reduce environmental impacts, reduce the use of raw materials and energy, have a longer lifespan, reduce emissions and waste, reduce the use of toxic and/or harmful substances, guarantee reliable and transparent information, in any case maintaining a performance standard equal to a similar non-certified product. The license is a contract, required by the company, for the use of the brand on certified products and services. The number of certified products corresponds to millions of items sold on the market for that type of certified product. The services currently certifiable with the EU Ecolabel are "Accommodation facilities" and "Indoor cleaning services". The indicator considered therefore represents an expression of awareness on the part of companies of the importance of environmental quality, in line with the principles of environmental sustainability enunciated by the European Community.
Describe the evolution, in Italy, of the offer of products and services with reduced environmental impact. In particular, describe the evolution of interest on the part of companies in environmental product certification.
- Regulation (EC) 66/2010
- Regulation (EC) 782/2013
The reference legislation does not set quantitative objectives as the EU Ecolabel is one of the voluntary instruments of European environmental policies. The purpose of the Regulation is to direct production and consumption, and therefore the market, towards products with reduced environmental impact.
- Law no. 221 of 12/28/2015 "Provisions on environmental matters to promote green economy measures".
- Legislative Decree 50/2016 and Legislative Decree. N. 36/2023 New Public Contracts Code
Each product/service group is regulated by an EU Decision which establishes the criteria for the assignment of the EU Ecolabel. The Decisions of the product/service groups with multiple licenses are highlighted:
- Decision 2018/680/EU for indoor cleaning services
- Decision 2017/175/EU for accommodation facilities
- Decision 2019/70/EU for graphic paper and for tissue-paper and tissue-paper products
- Decision 2017/1217/EU for products for cleaning hard surfaces
- ISPRA, Environmental data yearbook, various years
At the address http://ec. europa. eu/ecat/ it is possible to consult the ECAT (E-catalogue), the European online register containing all EU Ecolabel certified products and services in Europe.
Development of an EU Ecolabel "penetration of green products" indicator on the market.
ISPRA (Higher Institute for Environmental Protection and Research)
National, regional
1998-2025
Annual count of EU Ecolabel licenses issued in Italy and the total number of certified products and services. The count includes all active licenses and their associated products, divided by product group.
In 2025, the number of EU Ecolabel licenses in force in Italy increased by 8.7% compared to the previous year, going from 538 to 585 (Table 1 and Figure 1). The product/service groups that have obtained the highest number of licenses are: “Indoor cleaning services” (Decision 2018/680/EU) with 225 licenses; “Accommodation facilities” (Decision 2017/175/EU) with 83 licenses; "Products for cleaning hard surfaces" (Decision 2017/1217/EU) with 51 licenses; “Paper fabric and paper fabric products” which, with the entry into force of the new criteria contained in Decision 2019/70/EU, saw many companies renew their contracts and others obtain the brand for the first time, for a total of 45 licenses. Furthermore, 1 license for hard roofing was added in 2025 (Figure 2).
The trend of licenses and products/services is characterized by a long-term growth trend, but with moments of decline due to specific events, especially of a regulatory nature. In particular, in 2010 there was a slight decline, attributable to the need for companies to adapt their trademark use licenses to the new published criteria. From 2011 the trend began to grow again until 2016, the year in which a subsequent reduction in the number of licenses and products was noted due, in addition to the reason already illustrated, also to the withdrawal of some licenses by the competent Italian body, as well as the decision of some license holders to withdraw from the brand. In 2017 and 2018, the decrease in the number of certified products is a consequence of the withdrawal from the EU Ecolabel concession contract by companies with which several thousand products were associated (especially for products belonging to the "Hard roofing" group). In 2018, the decline in licenses is attributable to the expiry of the numerous licenses issued to tourist facilities and campsites and also to the entry into force of the new revised EU Ecolabel criteria for various product groups (especially detergents), which companies already licensed had to comply with. With the publication of Decision 2021/476/EU for "Hard roofing", the licenses of a large number of items expired in 2022, resulting in a reduction in the total number of EU Ecolabel certified products (Table 3). Considering the number of total EU Ecolabel certified products, in 2023 there was a partial balance resulting from the requests of manufacturing companies falling into the following typologies: "Paper fabric and paper fabric products", "Textile products" and "Products for cleaning hard surfaces". From 2019 to 2025 the trend was positive, with an increase in both the number of licenses and the number of certified products and services (Figure 1). In particular, between 2024 and 2025 there is the greatest increase in the number of certified products and services in the last three years, while the number of licenses also continues to grow.
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Table 1: Evolution of the EU Ecolabel in Italy Data source
ISPRA Note
The data are cumulative |
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Table 2: Number of EU Ecolabel Licences in Force in Italy by Product/Service Group Data source
ISPRA Data legend
(*) Change in the product group name following the publication of a new decision (-) Indicates that the data cannot be identified because it has been merged into another product/service group or due to the absence of a relevant regulatory framework Note
It should be noted that data for some product/service groups are not available as they have been included under other product/service groups: – “Camping services” under “Tourist accommodation services” (Commission Decision 2017/175/EU); – “Indoor paints and varnishes” under “Outdoor and indoor paints and varnishes” (Commission Decision 2015/886/EU); – “All-purpose cleaners/sanitary cleaners” under “Hard surface cleaning products” (Commission Decision 2017/1217/EU).
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Table 3: Number of EU Ecolabel Certified Products/Services by Product Group in Italy Data source
ISPRA Data legend
(*) Change in the product group name following the publication of a new decision (-) Indicates that the data cannot be identified because it has been merged into another product/service group or due to the absence of a relevant regulatory framework
Note
It should be noted that data for some product/service groups are not available as they have been included under other product/service groups: – “Camping services” under “Tourist accommodation services” (Commission Decision 2017/175/EU); – “Indoor paints and varnishes” under “Outdoor and indoor paints and varnishes” (Commission Decision 2015/886/EU); – “All-purpose cleaners/sanitary cleaners” under “Hard surface cleaning products” (Commission Decision 2017/1217/EU).
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Table 4: Regional Distribution of EU Ecolabel Licences (2025) Data source
ISPRA |
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Table 5: Distribution by Product Group of EU Ecolabel Certified Products in Italy (2025) Data source
ISPRA |
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Figure 1: Number of EU Ecolabel Licences and Products/Services in Italy Data source
ISPRA Note
The data are cumulative |
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Figura 2: Distribuzione in Italia delle licenze Ecolabel UE per gruppo di prodotti/servizi (2025)Figure 2: Distribution of EU Ecolabel Licences in Italy by Product/Service Group (2025) Data source
ISPRA |
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Figure 3: EU Ecolabel Licences Issued by the Italian Competent Body by Geographical Distribution (2025) Data source
ISPRA |
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Figure 4: Regional Distribution of EU Ecolabel Licences (2025) Data source
ISPRA |
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Figure 5: Distribution by Product Group of EU Ecolabel Certified Products in Italy (2025) Data source
ISPRA |
In 2025, there are 585 EU Ecolabel licenses in force in Italy, for a total of 19,218 certified products and services, distributed across 18 active groups of products and services (Table 5 and Figure 2). Compared to 2024, an additional license is registered, in the "Hard roofing" product group, corresponding to 8 new certified products. The territorial distribution of EU Ecolabel licenses issued by the competent Italian body (Ecolabel Section of the Ecolabel and Ecoaudit Committee) shows a clear prevalence of licenses issued in the North (59%), followed by the Center with 20.3% and by the South and Islands with 20%. Finally, 4 licenses (0.7%) are assigned to companies with registered office abroad (Figure 3). The Italian regions with the highest number of total EU Ecolabel licenses (products and services) are: Lombardy (106 licenses), Veneto (66 licenses), Lazio (61 licenses), Piedmont and Emilia-Romagna (54 licenses), Trentino-Alto Adige (52 licenses) and Tuscany (44 licenses) (Table 4 and Figure 4). For Lombardy, Veneto and Piedmont, the most significant weight is given by product licenses, while for Lazio and Trentino-Alto Adige the most significant weight is given by services. In fact, in the service sectors ("accommodation facilities" and "cleaning services"), Lazio is in the lead with 53 licenses for cleaning services, followed by Trentino-Alto Adige with a total of 39 licenses (21 for accommodation facilities and 18 for cleaning services) and Sicily with a total of 37 licenses (17 for accommodation facilities and 20 for cleaning services) (Table 4 and Figure 4). The group with the largest number of certified products remains "Paper fabric and paper fabric products" with 6,578 EU Ecolabel items, followed by "Textile products" (4,196) and "Products for cleaning hard surfaces" (2,550) (Figure 5). With the entry into force of Law no. 221 of 28/12/2015 "Provisions on environmental matters to promote green economy measures" and of the Procurement Code (Legislative Decree no. 50 of 18/4/2016), which contain provisions aimed at promoting both directly and indirectly products and services with the EU Ecolabel brand within public tenders, an increase in applications for some products (e. g. For detergents) and services (for example e. g. Cleaning). The indicator can be considered valid for the purposes of objective 2 of the 7th Environmental Action Program which envisages a transition towards a low carbon economy through structural changes in production, technology and innovation, as well as consumption patterns and lifestyles which lead to a reduction in the global environmental impact of production and consumption.