Difference between the Nordic Swan Ecolabel and preservative-free products

Nordic Swan Ecolabel
The Nordic Swan Ecolabel was introduced in 1989 by ministers of the Norwegian Council, a partnership between Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Iceland. This quality mark is independent and helps consumers and companies to make an environmentally conscious choice.

Before a product is allowed to bear this quality mark, the life cycle of the product from raw material use to production process and consumption is tested against a number of strict criteria. In order to ensure that products become more environmentally friendly, the organisation continuously refines these criteria. So what criteria are we talking about? The products are assessed based on the product’s ingredients and the packaging, the amount of packaging material and the quality of the product.

Our Creall Eco colour bears the Nordic Swan Ecolabel. Eco colour falls under the product category hobby and office articles. Strict rules are applicable to this group:

• Chemicals, such as preservatives, flavourants, organic solvents and heavy metals
• Using recycled and renewable material
• Minimise the amount of packaging material
• Minimise metal components in the packaging
• Quality of the product

Products that are made for children must also comply with even more strict rules. Certain ingredients may not be used at all, and the product has to comply with Toy Regulations.

Creall Eco colour is a safe, high-quality poster paint that meets all criteria. The main reason that this poster paint excels and is allowed to wear this seal is that the bottle is made from sustainably sourced sugar cane and the cap is made from recycled material.

Preservative-free
Preservatives are important for all water-based products to ensure they remain safe to use. The rules for preservatives are getting stricter, because people can get an allergic reaction from them. Think of coming into contact with preservatives, such as when using creams and make-up.

For Creall, this played a role with the finger paint and the clay. The hands of children and hobbyists in particular come into direct contact with the product. In order to prevent them from having allergic reactions to the preservatives in Creall clay or finger paint, we adjusted the recipe so that preservatives are no longer necessary. However, micro-organisms, such as bacteria, do not get a chance to grow and live on our clay and finger paint and it will last as long as before. We call these products full of happiness: 0% preservatives, 100% play and learning fun.

In short: the Nordic Swan Ecolabel indicates a product with a sustainable life cycle. However, this brand allows certain (sustainable) preservatives. Since certain users could be sensitive to the preservatives, our Creall products that come into direct contact with the skin do not contain any preservatives. Our preservative-free products do not carry this brand, because it does not (yet) comply with all (packaging) requirements of the brand, or because there are not any requirements yet for the product category, such as with clay.