Australian & New Zealand Designed - Self Declared means that the product was designed by an Australian or New Zealander, based in that home country. The product itself may or may not have been manufactured in Australia or New Zealand and be made of Australian or New Zealand components. You can discover this by looking at related certifications under Place of Origin and Sharing and Enabling, Artisan & Professional or the trader's website to discover where products are made and why. Sometimes products are made off shore because local production costs are prohibitive; sometimes to support community groups; or because materials or processing isn't available in Australia.
If a product is designed in Australian & New Zealand , it is reasonable to assume that the designer has an understanding of Australian & New Zealand conditions and relevance for the product. Even if a product is made off shore, the conditions under which the product is used reference Australian & New Zealand requirements.
EKKO SCORE: Australian & New Zealand Designed - Self Declared sits in the DESIGN Family under the Environmental Standard: Place of Origin of Ekko Score. One set of weighted Ekko Score points are gathered from each Family.
These are the claimable declarations & certifications under the Environmental Standard: Place of Origin. Please note that different certifications and declarations may be relevant to each category.
Yes, where the impact of the claim is similar. This is how it works.
IMPORTANTLY, SELF DECLARATIONS ARE GOVERNED BY CONSUMER LAW. IT IS AGAINST THE LAW FOR BUSINESSES TO MAKE FALSE CLAIMS (INCLUDING IMPLIED CLAIMS IN A CONTEXT LIKE EKKO SCORE).
EVEN IF A PRODUCT HAS A FORMAL CERTIFICATION, THAT CERTIFICATION DOES NOT GUARANTEE THE ENTIRE INTEGRITY OF THE PRODUCT'S MAKE UP.
An example might be a Handmade, Australian, Certified Organic chocolate that contains Palm Oil. Under Ekko Score, this product would claim Certified Organic and would self declare: Zero Waste Production and Australian made, but could not claim the No Palm Oil declaration. This would mean a lower score under the Organic - Chemical Free Standard, making the inclusion of Palm Oil clear to potential consumers, without detracting from its other assets.
No product is perfect, but some products are definitely better than others. Ekko Score allows you to make the best decision you can, or to put it another way, the least worst decision. And to make that decision with the confidence of not being green washed. Find out more about how Ekko Score works.