Searching for Ecolabels: a mystery shopping exercise in supermarkets across Europe

People care about the impact of what they buy. But how easy is it to find sustainable products across Europe? We ran a mystery shopping exercise in 13 countries to find out.

This report presents the results of a supermarket check conducted by The European Consumer Organisation (BEUC) and the European Environmental Bureau (EEB), together with 12 national consumer organisations and one national ecolabel competent body. We investigated the availability and price of products carrying the EU Ecolabel and equivalent national and regional labels run by governmental bodies. These labels aim to reduce the ecological footprint of products through their entire life cycle – from design and manufacturing to use, recycling and disposal.

The test provides a snapshot assessment – rather than an exhaustive overview – of how easy it is for consumers to buy ecolabelled products in selected supermarkets in different EU countries. It was conducted in Belgium, Cyprus, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Slovakia, and Slovenia. Alongside the EU Ecolabel, the labels considered were the Scandinavian Nordic Swan, the German Blue Angel, and the Austrian Ecolabel.

The results show that the availability of ecolabelled products varies widely across countries. Buying eco-friendly products is much easier in Scandinavia than in other regions. The good news is that, in most countries, ecolabelled products are cheaper than their non-ecolabelled counterparts. The report concludes with recommendations for retailers and policymakers to increase the offer of products with the EU Ecolabel and equivalent labels and make the sustainable choice the easy choice for consumers.