Overview
EN ISO 14020:2023 / ISO 14020:2022 defines the principles and general requirements for product-related environmental statements and environmental statement programmes. Published by CEN and aligned with ISO/TC 207, this standard covers all forms of environmental statements-self-declared environmental claims, ecolabels, environmental product declarations (EPDs) and footprint communications-and sets foundational rules to ensure credibility, transparency and consistency across programmes.
Key topics and requirements
- Core principles: credibility, evidence‑based methodology, transparency and availability, confidentiality, life cycle perspective, performance improvement and innovation, accessibility and minimization of administrative burden, stakeholder involvement, voluntary participation and regionality.
- Types of statements: guidance on distinctions between self-declared claims, Type I ecolabels, EPDs and footprint communications, plus other statement types.
- Programme governance: definition of programme owner/operator responsibilities and the need for stakeholder involvement and clear scope (responsible parties and intended audiences).
- Specified requirements and criteria: frameworks for setting program-specific criteria and requirements that statements must meet.
- Quantification & data quality: expectations for methodologies, data quality, and transparent reporting of environmental information.
- Conformity assessment: requirements and options for verifying compliance with programme rules.
- Format and publication: rules on statement formats, use of symbols/graphics, supportive information and managing revisions or changes to programmes and statements.
- Claims guidance: cautions against vague or non‑specific claims, rules for comparative statements and statements of sustainability.
Practical applications
- Develop or revise an environmental statement programme (national, industry or brand level).
- Create compliant EPDs, ecolabel criteria or self-declared environmental claims consistent with recognised principles.
- Inform procurement policies and green public procurement by using robust, verifiable product environmental information.
- Guide marketing, product design and sustainability communications to avoid misleading claims and ensure life‑cycle thinking.
- Design conformity assessment and verification processes for environmental statements.
Who uses this standard
- Manufacturers and product designers creating environmental claims or EPDs
- Ecolabelling bodies and programme owners/operators
- Certification bodies and conformity assessors
- Sustainability managers, procurement officers and regulatory authorities
- Consultants and life cycle assessment (LCA) practitioners
Related standards
EN ISO 14020 is intended to be used with other standards in the ISO 14020 family (for example, ISO 14021, ISO 14024 and ISO 14025), which contain additional terms, principles and requirements specific to different statement types.
Keywords: EN ISO 14020:2023, ISO 14020, environmental statements, ecolabel, EPD, footprint communication, environmental claim, life cycle perspective, conformity assessment, CEN.
