Return of the EU Ecolabel Showroom:

Arctik takes on Paris for positive Stakeholder Engagement in the Circular Economy

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From one capital to the next

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In 2017, to showcase and raise awareness of the EU Ecolabel, the first Showroom took place in Brussels on the iconic Mont des Arts, attracting hundreds of passers-by as they walked past the unique pop-up ‘shop’. Fast-forward 9 months and travel 300 KM to the capital of France and Arctik had the opportunity to recreate the design of the Showroom experience – this time building upon past experience and accentuating the best of Arctik-design to create a unique public space, emulating an EU Ecolabel shop, where products and services were displayed to inform passers-by of the ecolabel and the benefits it provides consumers.

Now, a Showroom experience? In mid-March? In Northern Europe? We were certainly putting ourselves up for a challenge. As the snow continued to fall throughout the beginning of the month and as the temperatures failed to rise, it was certainly touch-and-go. Yet, the 12th March arrived, the Beast from the East retreated back to Siberia and the sun partly revealed its face, gracing EU Ecolabel with some timely blue skies. The Arctik team went forward with full force to deliver an EU Ecolabel experience that would surpass expectations.

To prepare for the March weather, the Showroom took a much more wintery identity – a white, igloo-like dome was built on La Défense, Paris, designed with recycled furniture and the identifiable EU Ecolabel visuals and 150 EU Ecolabel products and services were cleverly displayed across the Showroom with a particular focus on French license holders.

Importance of the EU Ecolabel for consumers

Thanks to wider reporting and greater public interest we all, as consumers, are becoming increasingly conscious of the impact our consumption patterns have upon our health and the environment. This is coupled with a year-on-year increase in the number of environmental labels that indicate and make us aware of the impact products and services have upon the environment. It may seem that having more environmental labels is a positive reaction to increased environmental concerns, however, with this there comes confusion from procurers and consumers about which environmental label to really trust. Discover what the EU Ecolabel had in store for visitors in Paris with Famille Zero Dechet’s video.

Comment éviter le greenwashing et agir au quotidien pour la planète from Arctik sprl on Vimeo.

The EU Ecolabel therefore aims to demonstrate that with its tough set of criteria and certification process’, any products and services certified with the EU Ecolabel are of a very high environmental and quality standard. The label has been awarded to thousands of different products across Europe, including soaps and shampoos, baby clothes, paints and varnishes, electrical goods and furniture, as well as services, like hotels and campsites and it truly is an ecolabel that consumers can trust.

Arctik creative design: 360° stakeholder engagement

To truly showcase the EU Ecolabel brand to all relevant stakeholders, Arctik took on a 360° stakeholder engagement approach that aimed to: • Activate brand recognition with consumers • Coordinate on delivery with public bodies such as ADEME and the French Ministry for the Environment • Coordinate with French EU Ecolabel competent body, Afnor • Cooperate with EU Ecolabel license holders from around Europe, in particular French license holders • Approach and engage stakeholders dealing with sustainable consumption, production and procurement within a circular economy • Engage French and European media in reporting on EU Ecolabel

Through extensive outreach activities and with the development of an interactive week-long event programme, the Showroom successfully attracted all of the above stakeholders as well as passers-by, indicating a fruitful stakeholder engagement experience.

The official inauguration saw Joanna Drake (Deputy Director General for Mobility and Environment, DG. Environment), Laurence Monnoyer-Smith (Commissioner General for Sustainable Development), Fabrice Boissier (Director, ADEME) and Franck Lebeugle (Director General, AFNOR) cut the ribbon and take a tour of the Showroom and over 60,000 passers-by saw the EU Ecolabel Showroom over the 5-day event.

View all photos from the event