What is ISO 14021? Self-Declared Environmental Claims Explained

ISO 14021 is the international standard governing self-declared environmental claims, the labels you see manufacturers put on their own products claiming “recyclable”, “compostable”, or “reduced energy consumption”. It sits within the ISO 14020 family as Type II environmental labelling, distinct from third-party certified eco-labels (Type I) and EPDs (Type III).

The standard matters because these self-declared claims proliferate across consumer and industrial markets. Walk down any supermarket aisle and you’ll see dozens of products bearing environmental claims made by the manufacturers themselves. Without ISO 14021’s requirements, these claims would be completely ungoverned. With the standard, they’re at least subject to rules, even if enforcement remains problematic.

The Problem ISO 14021 Addresses#

Before standardisation, manufacturers made environmental claims freely. “Environmentally friendly” appeared on products with no clear meaning. “Recyclable” labels appeared on packaging that no recycling facility could process. “CFC-free” claims advertised the absence of substances that had been banned for decades. The marketplace became cluttered with misleading information that confused purchasers and undermined legitimate environmental improvements.

ISO 14021 emerged to address this chaos. The 2016 edition (which superseded the 1999 version) provides specific requirements for making environmental claims, defines commonly used terms, and establishes evaluation methodologies. The goal is ensuring claims are accurate, verifiable, and not misleading.

Structure and Scope#

The standard applies to any self-declared environmental claim made by manufacturers, importers, distributors, retailers, or anyone likely to benefit from such claims. These can appear on product labels, packaging, technical bulletins, advertising, websites, or any other medium.

ISO 14021 covers two main areas. First, general requirements applying to all self-declared environmental claims regardless of what they assert. Second, specific requirements for commonly used claims like recyclable, compostable, and reduced resource use.

The standard explicitly does not override legal requirements. Where legislation mandates specific environmental information or labelling, those legal obligations take precedence.

General Requirements for All Claims#

ISO 14021 prohibits vague or non-specific claims. Terms like “environmentally safe”, “environmentally friendly”, “earth friendly”, “green”, “nature’s friend”, and “ozone friendly” cannot be used. These broad assertions implying environmental benefit without specificity violate the standard.

Claims must be accurate, substantiated, verifiable, and not misleading. They must be specific about the environmental aspect being claimed and presented clearly regarding whether they apply to the complete product, a component, packaging, or a service element.

The standard requires consideration of the product’s full life cycle. A claim cannot highlight one environmental improvement whilst ignoring impacts that increased elsewhere. This doesn’t mandate conducting a full LCA, but it does require thinking through consequences. Reducing packaging material means nothing if the thinner packaging causes more product damage in transit.

Claims of “free” (as in “phosphate-free” or “chlorine-free”) can only be made when the specified substance exists at no more than trace contaminant or background levels. You cannot claim absence of something that was never present in that product category anyway.

Notably, the standard prohibits sustainability claims entirely. It states bluntly that “there are no definitive methods for measuring sustainability or confirming its accomplishment. Therefore, no claim of achieving sustainability shall be made.” This recognition of complexity stands in stark contrast to the casual sustainability assertions appearing across marketing materials.

Selected Claims with Specific Requirements#

ISO 14021 provides detailed requirements for thirteen commonly used environmental claims. Each has a precise definition and specific qualifications that must be met.

Recyclable#

A product or packaging can be called recyclable only when collection, separation, and processing systems exist to recover it from the waste stream. The claim must specify what proportion of purchasers have access to recycling facilities. If fewer than 60% have access, an explanatory statement about limited availability is required. If fewer than 20% have access, no recyclable claim should be made at all.

This requirement matters. Manufacturers regularly label packaging “recyclable” when it’s theoretically recyclable in specialised facilities but practically ends up in landfill because local authorities don’t accept that material type.

Compostable#

Compostability claims must specify whether they refer to home composting or industrial composting facilities. The entire product must be compostable, or the claim must identify specific compostable components with clear separation instructions.

For home composting claims, the product cannot require significant preparation, specialised equipment beyond a composting unit, or specialised skills unlikely to be available in most households. For industrial composting, such facilities must be conveniently available to a reasonable proportion of purchasers. Vague qualifications like “compostable where facilities exist” are insufficient.

Degradable#

The degradable claim must specify the degradation conditions and timeframe. Degradability depends entirely on the environment where the product ends up. Something degradable in industrial compost may be stable in landfill. The claim cannot be made without specifying the relevant environment and providing substantiation through appropriate test methods.

Recycled Content#

Recycled content claims must distinguish between pre-consumer material (manufacturing waste) and post-consumer material (waste from consumers). Pre-consumer material doesn’t include rework, regrind, or scrap generated in a process and capable of being reclaimed within the same process.

The percentage must be specified and substantiated. Claims must be reassessed when product formulation changes. If recycled content applies only to packaging rather than product, this must be clearly stated.

Other Selected Claims#

The standard similarly provides specific requirements for claims about:

• Designed for disassembly
• Extended life products
• Recovered energy
• Reduced energy consumption
• Reduced resource use
• Reduced water consumption
• Reusable and refillable products
• Waste reduction

Each requires specific substantiation, clear communication of what’s being compared, and consideration of trade-offs across the life cycle.

Symbols and the Mobius Loop#

ISO 14021 addresses environmental symbols. The Mobius loop (three chasing arrows forming a triangle) is specifically designated for recyclable and recycled content claims only. It cannot be used for other environmental claims.

When the Mobius loop appears without a percentage figure inside, it indicates the product or packaging is recyclable. With a percentage figure inside, it indicates recycled content. Natural objects (leaves, trees, globes) should only be used as symbols when there’s a direct and verifiable link between the object and the benefit claimed.

Evaluation and Verification Requirements#

Here’s where ISO 14021 reveals its fundamental weakness. The standard requires claims to be substantiated and verified, but verification is entirely at the discretion of the claimant. No independent third-party verification is mandated.

Companies making self-declared environmental claims are responsible for ensuring their claims are accurate and can be substantiated. They must select appropriate evaluation methods, collect reliable data, and document their verification process. But they verify their own claims.

Compare this to Type I environmental labels (ISO 14024), which require independent third-party certification through a licensed programme operator. Compare it to EPDs (ISO 14025), which require independent verification of both the underlying LCA data and the declaration itself before publication.

Type II claims under ISO 14021 require neither third-party involvement nor public documentation of the verification process. The claimant develops their methodology, conducts their evaluation, verifies their own results, and makes their claim. The standard provides requirements for what this process should involve, but no external oversight ensures those requirements are met.

This creates an enforcement vacuum. Without mandatory verification, compliance depends entirely on post-market surveillance through consumer protection authorities, competitor challenges, or consumer complaints. By the time a misleading claim is challenged and potentially withdrawn, it may have been in the marketplace for years.

The Verification Gap in Practice#

The practical implications are significant. A manufacturer can claim “recyclable” on packaging, develop an internal document showing some recycling facilities theoretically accept that material, and proceed with the claim. Whether the evaluation was thorough, whether facilities actually exist in practice, whether the accessibility threshold was properly assessed—all these depend on the manufacturer’s internal processes.

Contrast this with an EPD. Before publication, an independent verifier must review the LCA study, check the data quality, confirm the methodology follows PCR requirements, and verify that reported results are accurate. The verifier’s identity appears on the published EPD. Third-party involvement creates accountability.

ISO 14021 contains no equivalent mechanism. The standard states that evaluation methodology should be “clear, transparent, scientifically sound and documented”, but provides no requirement to make this documentation publicly available or subject to external review before the claim appears in the marketplace.

When ISO 14021 Claims Have Value#

Despite these limitations, ISO 14021 claims serve specific purposes where the verification gap matters less. In business-to-business relationships, purchasers can request substantiation documentation directly. Supply chain partners can audit verification processes. Long-term commercial relationships create accountability mechanisms that consumer-facing claims lack.

For straightforward factual claims with objective test methods, self-declaration works reasonably well. “Made from 30% post-consumer recycled content” is verifiable through material analysis. “Consumes 15% less energy than previous model” can be confirmed through standardised testing. These quantified claims with clear measurement approaches are harder to misrepresent.

The problems emerge with complex claims requiring judgement. Is a facility “conveniently available”? What constitutes a “reasonable proportion of purchasers”? Does this product have “significantly” more recycled content? These require interpretation, and without external oversight, interpretation favours the claimant.

ISO 14021 in the Broader Standards Landscape#

ISO 14021 fits within the three-tier structure of ISO 14020. Type I labels (ISO 14024) provide third-party certified eco-labels assessing products against multi-criteria environmental requirements. Type III declarations (ISO 14025) provide quantified life cycle environmental data through EPDs. Type II claims under ISO 14021 sit between them, offering more flexibility than Type I programmes but less rigour than Type III declarations.

The standard references several other ISO standards for underlying methodology. Life cycle considerations should follow ISO 14040/14044 principles where relevant. Carbon footprint claims should align with ISO 14067. The general principles in ISO 14020 apply to all environmental labels and declarations.

For organisations making environmental claims, this creates choices. Invest in EPD development with mandatory third-party verification but gain credibility through independent oversight. Pursue Type I eco-labels with their comprehensive assessment but face their specific criteria and certification costs. Or make self-declared claims following ISO 14021 with lower barriers to entry but less external validation.

Common Non-Compliance Issues#

Even with ISO 14021’s requirements, many self-declared claims violate the standard. Vague terms like “eco-friendly” still appear regularly despite explicit prohibition. Recyclable claims appear on packaging with no reasonable access to recycling facilities. Comparative claims fail to specify what they’re comparing against or when the improvement occurred.

The “X-free” claim causes particular problems. Products advertise “free” from substances that were never used in that product category, implying a benefit that doesn’t exist. “CFC-free” appeared on products years after CFCs were banned. “BPA-free” appears on products made from materials that never contained BPA.

Omission of relevant facts creates misleading impressions even when claims are literally true. A product might highlight renewable material content whilst remaining silent about increased manufacturing emissions. Packaging might advertise recyclability whilst omitting that recycled content actually decreased.

The Role of Supporting Documentation#

ISO 14021 requires that information supporting claims be available to purchasers upon request. This access requirement provides some accountability mechanism. Purchasers, competitors, or enforcement authorities can request substantiation.

The documentation should include evaluation methodology, data sources, calculation methods, and verification procedures. But since self-declared claims require no public registration or central database, knowing which claims to challenge remains difficult.

Compare this to EPDs, where published documents provide complete transparency. Anyone can review the underlying methodology, data quality, system boundaries, and verification statement. This transparency enables meaningful scrutiny.

Business Implications#

For organisations, ISO 14021 provides a pathway to communicate environmental attributes without EPD costs or Type I certification requirements. Self-declared claims can be made relatively quickly, updated as products change, and tailored to specific environmental aspects that matter to the business or its customers.

However, the lack of mandatory external verification means claims face heightened scrutiny. Competitors may challenge assertions. Customers may demand substantiation. Consumer protection authorities may investigate. The absence of third-party verification doesn’t eliminate accountability, it simply delays it until post-market enforcement.

Organisations serious about credible environmental communication increasingly recognise this limitation. Self-declared claims work for straightforward factual statements but lack the credibility for complex environmental positioning. For significant environmental claims central to product positioning or corporate strategy, EPDs or Type I labels provide stronger foundations.

Looking Forward#

ISO 14021 will likely face pressure to strengthen verification requirements. As greenwashing scrutiny intensifies, purely self-declared claims without external oversight look increasingly problematic. Some jurisdictions may impose mandatory third-party verification for certain claim types through legislation, effectively bypassing the standard’s permissive approach.

The standard itself recognises its limitations through the sustainability claim prohibition. That acknowledgement that some environmental concepts are too complex for current measurement and verification methods could logically extend to questioning whether any complex environmental claims should be self-declared without external validation.

For now, ISO 14021 provides rules for the self-declaration game whilst leaving enforcement to post-market surveillance and claimant integrity. Whether this balance serves environmental communication effectively remains debatable. What’s clear is that Type II claims lack the verification rigour that makes EPDs and Type I labels independently credible.

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Understanding the differences between environmental claims, labels, and declarations matters for assessing their credibility. At Decerna, we work with ISO 14025 EPDs and the underlying LCA methodology in ISO 14040/44, where mandatory third-party verification provides assurance that self-declared claims cannot match. When environmental claims need independent validation, life cycle assessment provides the quantified foundation.