This year was mainly devoted to the improvement of ecological criteria in accordance with ISO 14024. Together with the national technical committee for standardization TC 82 "Environmental Protection" 16 standards were revised. An ecological standard for Green Building is currently being developed. The experts of technical committees, design and educational institutions are working on the development of this standard. The expected date of adoption of this standard is March 2018.

As of early November 2017 the Ukrainian Ecolabelling Program "Green Crane" includes the following:

• 52 product environmental criteria (valid standards);
• 112 valid environmental certificates;
• 934 ecolabelling goods and services.

The valid environmental criteria allow evaluating the environmental benefits of the following product categories:

• Food and beverages:
• Textiles;
• Mattresses and furniture;
• Building materials and paints;
• Detergents and cosmetics;
• Fuel;
• Paper and plastic goods;
• Electrical equipment;
• Fertilizers;
• Services: accommodation services, Green Class, Green Office and others.

This year we began to practice the acceptance of the criteria of other programs by the cover method with the identical degree of conformity (IDT) of the content of the standard.

Considering the growth of the export potential of the Ukrainian products, this approach enables the Ukrainian producer to undergo environmental certification of products in the framework of other ecolabeling programs under a simplified scheme, which thereby simplifies the Ukrainian producer to enter foreign markets.

An example of entering the foreign market with the right to use the ecolabel of another program was the products of the PJSC "Slobozhansky Construction Ceramics" (ceramic facing bricks). These products are environmentally certified in Ukraine and exported to Israel. This year, on the basis of mutual recognition of conformity assessment results in the framework of the GENICES program, the manufacturer received a certificate and the right to use the Israeli Green Label.

PJSC "Slobozhanska Building Ceramics", www.sbk.com.ua.

The following standards were adopted by the "cover method":

• SOU OEM 08.002.04.003:2016 Textile products. Environmental criteria for the life cycle assessment (Commission Decision of 5 June 2014 (2014/350 / EU) establishing the ecological criteria for the award of the EU Ecolabel for textile products, IDT);
• SOU ОЕМ 08.002.27.029:2017 Electrical equipment and household appliances. Environmental criteria for the life cycle assessment (Nordic Ecolabelling of the White Goods, Version 5.2., 02 June 2013 - 31 December 2018, IDT);
• SOU OEM 08.002.24.073:2016 Rolled steel products. Environmental criteria for the life cycle assessment (PE-148.02 Ecolabel for Steel products for construction of the Brazilian Association for Technical Standards, Environmental Labeling Program, IDT);
• SOU OEM 08.002.24.074:2017 Alternative solid fuel and firelighting products. Environmental criteria for the life cycle assessment (Nordic Ecolabelling of Solid fuels and firelighting products, Version 3.0. 06 March 2017 - 31 March 2022, IDT).

This year the greatest interest to the environmental certification in Ukraine was shown by the manufacturers of household chemicals, food products and building materials.

In total in 2017 were issued 26 certificates for 275 products.

New environmentally certified types of products have appeared, such as metal-plastic windows and doors; polyethylene pipes for cold water supply, technical purposes and sewerage; juices and food products; refrigeration units for food products.

The year 2017 has been successful for the practical application of the Green Office Standard, according to which were certified the office premises of the leading construction company PIVNICHNO-UKRAYINS'KIY BUDIVEL'NIY AL'YANS, TOV.