The Global Ecolabelling Network (GEN) is a non-profit association of third-party, environmental performance recognition, certification and labelling organisations founded in 1994 to improve, promote, and develop the ecolabelling of products and services. Only environmentally friendly products and services proven to have lower environmental impact may carry a GEN member ecolabel.
Since 2003 the all Ukraine NGO Living Planet has been a GEN member, representing the Ukrainian Type I ecolabelling program (according to ISO 14024).
In 2010 this ecolabelling body has been successfully certified according to GENICES, which is still valid.
This is the GEN Internationally Coordinated Ecolabelling System. It is a peer review process that benchmarks members as a basis for mutual trust and confidence, after which they may have input on standards/specifications to be included in the common internationally accepted database of criteria.
Based on the pillars of Trust, Proof and Understanding, GENICES shares information among qualified members to:
- Help new programs start more quickly
- Facilitate certification of products that have been certified elsewhere
- Make international certification more cost-effective
- Facilitate exports of environmentally certified products
- Address and allay concerns about trade barriers.