Editing Label (section)

==Environmental considerations==
===Compliance===
Labels of [[sustainability standards and certification]] such as [[organic food]] and [[Energy conservation|energy efficiency class]] labels are often intended to confirm compliance with relevant social and environmental considerations, enabling consumers and other purchasers to make more [[sustainable consumption|ethical decisions]] in terms of [[Sustainability measurement#Life cycle analysis|the environmental impact of products]].

Labels such as the [[Ecolabel#European Union|European Eco-label]] and those issued by sustainability standards organisations may be used by businesses and public bodies to confirm compliance. Public procurement regulations in the [[Government procurement in the European Union|European Union]] and the [[Government procurement in the United Kingdom|United Kingdom]] require that label requirements only include those which are "linked to the subject-matter of the contract".<ref>[[EUR-Lex]], [https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:32014L0024&qid=1672198822439 Directive 2014/24/EU of 26 February 2014 on public procurement and repealing Directive 2004/18/EC], Article 43, accessed 28 December 2022</ref>

In {{Dts|June 2023}}, the [[Scientific Advice Mechanism]] to the [[European Commission]] concluded that the effectiveness of food labelling related to health impacts was "low to moderate" according to available evidence, and that "shaping the information environment through labelling is necessary but not sufficient to advance healthy and sustainable diets".<ref>{{Cite web |title=Towards sustainable food consumption – SAPEA |url=https://sapea.info/topic/food-consumption/ |access-date=2023-06-29 |language=en-GB}}</ref>

The approach of labels can involve a trade-off between [[Homo economicus|financial considerations]] and higher cost requirements in effort or time for the product-selection from the [[Overchoice|many]] available options.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=d’Adda |first1=Giovanna |last2=Gao |first2=Yu |last3=Tavoni |first3=Massimo |title=A randomized trial of energy cost information provision alongside energy-efficiency classes for refrigerator purchases |journal=Nature Energy |date=April 2022 |volume=7 |issue=4 |pages=360–368 |doi=10.1038/s41560-022-01002-z |bibcode=2022NatEn...7..360D |s2cid=248033760 |language=en |issn=2058-7546|doi-access=free |hdl=2434/922959 |hdl-access=free }}</ref>

===Impact of labels on the environment ===
Labels may affect the environment during manufacture, use, and post-use. Choice of backings, coatings, adhesives and liners can be strong factors.  Environmental regulations and guidelines can come from many sources. Users of labels on [[packaging]] may consider some of the [[sustainable packaging]] guidelines. Based on the solid [[waste hierarchy]], the quantity and size of labels should be minimized without reducing the necessary functionality. The material content of a label should comply with applicable regulations. [[Life cycle assessment]]s of the item being labeled and of the label itself are useful to identify and improve possible environmental effects. For example, reuse or recycling are sometimes aided by a label being removable from a surface.

If a label remains on an item during recycling, a label should be chosen which does not hinder the recyclability of the item.<ref>{{Cite web|last1=Kovach|first1=A|last2=Brown|first2=S.|title=Label recycling: a materials issue|newspaper=Packaging Digest|date=July 1, 2008|url=http://www.packagingdigest.com/}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Katz|first=S.|title=Waste Recycling|newspaper=Label and Narrow Web|date=July 2008|url=http://www.labelandnarrowweb.com/articles/2008/07/waste-recycling|access-date=2009-01-13|archive-date=2009-01-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090106141116/http://www.labelandnarrowweb.com/articles/2008/07/waste-recycling|url-status=dead}}</ref> For example, when labeled corrugated boxes are recycled, wet strength paper labels do not hinder box recycling: the PSA adhesive stays with the backing and is easily removed. Paper backings without wet strength may release their adhesives, potentially contaminating recycling efforts.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.pstc.org/technical_notes/to_recycle.php?subject=packaging|title= Packaging Tapes:To Recycle of Not|access-date=2007-11-06 |last= Jensen|first= Timothy|date=April 1999|publisher=Adhesives and Sealants Council |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071109204909/http://www.pstc.org/technical_notes/to_recycle.php?subject=packaging <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date = 2007-11-09}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal
  | last = Gruenewald
  | first = L. E.
  |author2=Sheehan, R. L. 
  | title = Consider box closures when considering recycling
  | journal = J. Applied Manufacturing Systems
  | volume = 9
  | issue = 1
  | pages = 27–29
  | publisher = St Thomas Technology Press
  | year = 1997
  | issn = 0899-0956
   }}</ref> Labels can aid in [[recycling]] and [[reuse]] by communicating the material content of the item, instructions for disassembly or recycling directions. An [[eco-label]] is used on consumer products (including foods) to identify products that may be less damaging to the environment and/or humans than other related products, such as sustainable seafood encouraged by [[Friend of the Sea]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Sustainable Seafood Products Certification|url=http://www.friendofthesea.org/|access-date=17 May 2014}}</ref>