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  3. Toys 095

Toys 095

The product group covers toys that consist of plastic, foam, silicone, rubber, textile, fur, leather, metal, paper, cardboard, wood, bamboo, or wood-based boards. Electronic toys, disposable toys, balloons, toys with liquid parts (also encapsulated) and toys that are attached to or includes food cannot be certified with the Nordic Swan Ecolabel.

The materials included in the toys must comply with environmental and chemical requirements that are stricter than the EU Toys Directive. There are ban on using several substances and environmental requirements for the individual material types. At the same time, the requirements promote circular economy.

The requirements include:

  • Documentation of compliance with the requirements of the EU Toys Directive.
  • Environmental and health properties of the chemicals used in the materials and in the surface treatments.
  • Prohibition on the use of substances that can cause cancer, damage genes, or damage our reproductive capacity, as well as bans on heavy metals, perfumes, nanoparticles, phthalates and bisphenol A, B, F, S and AF.
  • Use of materials that meet a variety of requirements; among other things, cotton fibers must be organic or recycled, metal materials must contain a high proportion of recycled metal or metal made with lower climate footprints, plastics must be recyclable, and a high proportion of wood from certified sustainable managed forests.
  • Design of packaging – and both quantity and type of material for the packaging.
  • Compliance with the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Conventions.

Below you will find all the necessary documents and background information to apply for the Nordic Swan Ecolabel.

    1. Start your application process by reading the criteria document and find out if your product can obtain the Nordic Swan Ecolabel. 
    2. Read your Application Guide.
    3. Request login credentials.
    4. Now you are ready to enter the Nordic Ecolabelling Portal.

     

    Portal sign in                               Get login credentials

     

    Should you wish to transfer your licence, please use this form. 

  • Fees valid from 1 January 2025

    Type of fee Amount
    Application fee including one on-site inspection within the Nordic region *) 3 348 EUR + VAT 
    Renewal fee* 1 673 EUR + VAT
    More than one inspection visit within the Nordic region** 557 EUR + VAT per visit
    Inspection visits in Europe** 1 673 EUR + VAT per visit
    Inspection visits outside Europe** 2 790 EUR + VAT per visit
    Extension of existing licence*** Extension of existing or changes in licence

    < 4 hours: 418 EUR + VAT
    < 8 hours: 836 EUR + VAT
    ≥ 8 hours: 1 673 EUR + VAT

    Annual licence fee: The annual licence fee for the Nordic Swan Ecolabelled products is based on their turnover in the Nordic countries.

    		 0.3% of turnover + VAT from 0 – 30.9 million EUR 
    0.05% of turnover + VAT > 30.9 million EUR
    Minimum fee for Nordic region 2 232 EUR + VAT per year
    Maximum fee for Nordic region No maximum fee

    Fees for sale outside the Nordic region          
    (Only if revenue > EUR 309 000 per year)

    		 2 232 EUR + VAT per year

    * When both the applicant and the manufacturer are micro-enterprises, the fee is reduced by 50%. A micro-enterprise is in this context defined as an enterprise with less than 10 employees and an annual turnover (of both ecolabelled and not ecolabelled products) below 2 million EUR.

    ** Where audits requires more than one day away from the office including travelling, Nordic Ecolabelling can invoice an additional fee of 1 115 EUR per extra day. Other extraordinary costs induced by the audit can also be invoiced the applicant.

    *** As for an extension of or amendments to a licence, time consumed in connection with the review process will be invoiced according to the extent of the required task. We make a distinction between entirely administrative tasks that last less than 1 hour, and all other tasks that last between 1 and 4 hours, between 4 and 8 hours and more than 8 hours.

    The recipient is liable for the VAT according to article 56 of the Council Directive 2006/112/EC.
    All information given on this site is subject to a disclaimer for errors and omissions

     

    Fees valid from 1 January 2024

    Type of fee Amount
    Application fee including one on-site inspection within the Nordic region *) 3 251 EUR + VAT 
    Renewal fee* 1 625 EUR + VAT
    More than one inspection visit within the Nordic region** 541 EUR + VAT per visit
    Inspection visits in Europe** 1 625 EUR + VAT per visit
    Inspection visits outside Europe** 2 709 EUR + VAT per visit
    Extension of existing licence*** Extension of existing or changes in licence

    < 4 hours: 406 EUR + VAT
    < 8 hours: 812 EUR + VAT
    ≥ 8 hours: 1 625 EUR + VAT

    Annual licence fee: The annual licence fee for the Nordic Swan Ecolabelled products is based on their turnover in the Nordic countries.

    		 0.3% of turnover + VAT from 0 – 30 million EUR 
    0.05% of turnover + VAT > 30 million EUR
    Minimum fee for Nordic region 2 167 EUR + VAT per year
    Maximum fee for Nordic region No maximum fee

    Fees for sale outside the Nordic region          
    (Only if revenue > EUR 300,000 per year)

    		 2 167 EUR + VAT per year

    * When both the applicant and the manufacturer are micro-enterprises, the fee is reduced by 50%. A micro-enterprise is in this context defined as an enterprise with less than 10 employees and an annual turnover (of both ecolabelled and not ecolabelled products) below 2 million EUR.

    ** Where audits requires more than one day away from the office including travelling, Nordic Ecolabelling can invoice an additional fee of 1 083 EUR per extra day. Other extraordinary costs induced by the audit can also be invoiced the applicant.

    *** As for an extension of or amendments to a licence, time consumed in connection with the review process will be invoiced according to the extent of the required task. We make a distinction between entirely administrative tasks that last less than 1 hour, and all other tasks that last between 1 and 4 hours, between 4 and 8 hours and more than 8 hours.

    The recipient is liable for the VAT according to article 56 of the Council Directive 2006/112/EC.
    All information given on this site is subject to a disclaimer for errors and omissions

  • In the criteria document, you can read about how to document and verify compliance for each requirement. You can also find other application documents here.

  • 3.8 ⇛ 3.9: Adjustment of the criteria

    On 28 May 2024 Nordic Ecolabelling decided to include puzzles with more than 500 pieces in the product group definition. The new version is called 3.9.

    3.7 ⇛ 3.8: Prolongation of criteria's validity

    The validity period for the criteria has been extended. The new version is called 3.8 and is valid until December 31, 2026.

    3.6 ⇛ 3.7: Adjustment of the criteria

    Requirement O11 has been adjusted with an exception for the density requirement for TPE (Thermoplastic Elastomer), which constitutes a maximum of 20% by weight of the toy.

    The new version is called 3.7 and is valid until 30 June 2026.

    3.5 ⇛ 3.6 Adjustment of the criteria

    Requirement O79 has been adjusted and an exemption for formaldehyde has been introduced under the condition that requirement O81 is fulfilled.

    The new version is called 3.6 and is valid to June 30, 2026.

    3.4 ⇛ 3.5 Adjustment of the criteria

    A clarification has been added in O29: the requirement does not apply to natural latex.

    The new version is called 3.5 and is valid to June 30, 2026.

    3.3 ⇛ 3.4 Adjustment of the criteria

    Several adjustments have been made:

    • Requirement O64: an exception for butylhydroxytoluene (BHT) is introduced under certain conditions
    • Requirement O58: a maximum of 0.5 mg/l zinc is allowed in wastewater as an alternative to closed-loop wastewater systems, but when more than 10 wt% of metal that is surface treated with zinc is in the toy only closed wastewater systems are allowed (requirement O59)
    • Requirement O13: labels/stickers in polyethylene (PE) are allowed on toys (parts) in polypropylene (PP).

    The new version is called 3.4 and is valid to June 30, 2026.

    3.2 ⇛ 3.3 Adjustment of the criteria

    An adjustment in requirements O59 and O60 for production of steel and aluminium regarding traceability, which can now be verified using mass balance or by major suppliers.

    The new version is called 3.3 and is valid to June 30, 2026.

    3.1 ⇛ 3.2 Adjustment of the criteria

    An adjustment in requirement O22 where an alternative method EN 13130 for testing styrene was introduced. The new version is called 3.2 and is valid until June 30th 2026.

    3.0 ⇛ 3.1: Adjustment of the criteria

    The following requirements have been adjusted:

    • O39 regarding flame retardants.
    • O13 and O87 regarding requirements for labels / decals in paper.
    • O87 regarding the possibility of washing labels from plastic packaging.

    The new version is called 3.1.

    3.0: New criteria generation

    Version 3.0 of Nordic Ecolabelling's criteria for toys has been adopted on the 18 June 2021. The new version is valid until June 30th 2026.

    2.6 ⇛ 2.7: Prolongation of criteria's validity

    The criteria's validity has been prolonged with 6 months. The new version is called 2.7 and is valid until April 30 2023.

    2.5 ⇛ 2.6: Adjustment of criteria and prolongation of criteria's validity

    Requirements 6, 7, 9, 34, 37 and 45 have been adjusted for titanium dioxide (TiO2) and trimethylolpropane (TMP). In addition, the validity of the criteria has been prolonged by 7 months. The new version, 2.6, is valid until 31 October 2022.

    2.4 ⇛ 2.5: Prolongation of criteria's validity

    The criteria's validity has been prolonged with 12 months. The new version, 2.5, is valid until March 31st, 2022.

    2.3 ⇛ 2.4: Prolongation of criteria's validity

    The criteria's validity has been prolonged with 24 months. At the same time requirement R70 Recycling system was removed. The new version, 2.4, is valid until March 31st 2021.

    2.2 ⇛ 2.3: Prolongation of criteria's validity

    The criteria's validity has been prolonged with 12 months. The new version, 2.3, is valid until March 31st 2019.

    2.1 ⇛ 2.2: Prolongation of criteria's validity

    The criteria's validity has been prolonged with 24 months. The new version, 2.2, is valid until March 31st 2018.

    2.0 ⇛ 2.1: Adjustment of the criteria

    Adjustments of percentage rages in requirements R38, R39 and R40 in chapter 3.5 have been made. Also, requirement R71, regarding marketing, has been removed. The new version, 2.1, is valid until March 31st 2016.

  • In the background document below you will find reasoning and facts behind the specific requirements in the criteria document.

    Here you can also read the comments, requirement for requirement, from the public hearing.

    If the documents are in a Nordic language, you can get help in understanding the sections you need by contacting the product specialist in your chosen country below.