Welcome to the FAQ
What is the Supply Chain Declaration Portal (SCDP for short)?
The Nordic Ecolabelling Supply Chain Declaration Portal is a digital tool where manufacturers of items* can declare the properties of their items. A declaration is always connected to one or more of our speciffic criteria documents and the requirements in them.
The information about the properties of the declared item can then be used, tohether with lots of other information, in conjunction with an application for a Nordic Swan Ecolabel licence.
* Item is a genneral term including everything from products to sevices.
What is the difference between a product certified with the Nordic Swan Ecolabel and a product/item declared in the SCDP?
Goods or services that carry the Nordic Swan Ecolabel or the EU Ecolabel have undergone a comprehensive certification process that covers requirements for a predefined product group developed from a lifecycle perspective, e.g. requirements for raw materials, chemicals, production, packaging, energy consumption, functionality andrecycling.
These products have fulfilled all requirements and are among the best when it comes to environmental sustainability and can thus always be used in a Nordic Swan Ecolabel application. Manufacturers of ecolabelled products can market their certification on their products as well as in communication and marketing.
The fact that an item have been declared in the SCDP means that specific product properties has been declared by the manufacturer.
This information can be used by an applicant in their application for a Nordic Swan Ecolabel licence. Vice versa, Nordic Ecolabelling uses the information when processing applications for Nordic Swan Ecolabel licence.
Declared items, for which specific properties are registered in the SCDP, are not certified, nor approved.
In an application for a Nordic Swan Ecolabel licence, it is the end product/service that is being certified – not the ingoing items/parts or steps in the licensing process.
Why are manufacturers of items declared in the SCDP not allowed to market their products as: Declared in the Nordic Ecolabelling Supply Chain Declaration Portal and can be used in a Nordic Swan Ecolabel XXX?
Manufacturers who have declared properties of their items in the Supply Chain Declaration Portal may not use this information in their marketing and communication, as it could give the misimpression that the product is certified, more environmentally-friendly or similar – and thus runs the risk of ‘greenwashing’ or being misleading in general.
How can manufacturers inform customers about products declared in the SCDP?
#1: Product information declared to Nordic Ecolabelling by New Buildings gen. 3 and 4. The product is not certified under the Nordic Swan Ecolabel.
#2 [Item name] or: [The product] is a declared item in the Supply Chain Declaration Portal (SCDP) for New Buildings generation 4.
Important
The sentences MUST always be used in their full length. Only shortening of the ”Supply Chain Declaration Portal” using the acronym ”SCDP” – is allowed.
What is the approval process for the SCDP, and what is required for an item to be declared in the portal?
There is no approval process in the SCDP. The fact that the properties of a item, for instance a building product, is declared in the SCDP means that companies applying for a Nordic Swan Ecolabel licence can find the item and easily include it in the documentation for their application for a Nordic Swan Ecolabel licence.
In an application for a Nordic Swan Ecolabel goods or service, it´s only the specified end product/sevice that is certified, not individual ingoing items nor by-products or other production or services.
However, we do check (in connection with an application for a Nordic Swan Ecolabel licence) that all the fields we have asked for have been completed, that we have the data sheets we need, and that our overall information requests have been met.
Can all types of items be declared in the SCDP?
No. You can only declare properties of your products within areas where Nordic Ecolabelling has requirements. The areas are stated under each product group on this very web site.
Futhermore, items that do not meet our information needs, or items whose properties break with some of the limits we have set will have their declaration rejected.
Why should a manufacturer of an item bother to declare its properties if they are not allowed to tell anyone about it?
The advantage for a manufacturer of item(s) declaring the properties of their item(s) in the portal is that the company may only need to enter information once – as opposed to every time a licence applicant wishes to use the company’s products in an application.
In the SCDP, the declaring company can monitore and mannage all ther declared iems (including specific security settings).
Is it possible for, let's say, an individual lumber yard or a contractor to gain access to the items in the SCDP or another database, so that they can access and search themselves for the materials they intend to offer?
Only licence applicants (and their defined subcontractors, for example a lumber yard) with a pending application have access to the items in the SCDP. No one else may access the portal, as there is a risk of misinterpreting or mistakenly assuming that the products are ecolabelled.
In an application for a Nordic Swan Ecolabel licence, it is the uniqe item thats being certified from a life cycle perspective – not the ingoing parts, the items.
May an applicant always use the declared items in the SCDP in their application for the Nordic Swan Ecolabel?
It is not possible to give a yes or no answer to this question. This is because a declared item is used in conjunction with other items in an application and with a licence applicant’s specific decription on how (much) and where the declared items is used.
Should you not find what you are looking for among our FAQs, please do not hesitate to send your question to Support@nordicecolabel.org.