Digitalisation and the Nordic Swan Ecolabel: Enhancing Efficiency and Accessibility
In our collaboration with the Nordic Council of Ministers, the third key focus area is digitalisation. This initiative is designed to make it easier for consumers, procurement professionals, and buyers to find Nordic Swan Ecolabelled products, as well as simplifying the application process for producers applying for a Nordic Swan Ecolabel licence.
Project Objectives
The digitalisation project has set out four main goals to enhance the overall experience for users and improve efficiency:
- Data collection and registration: We are focusing on gathering and registering essential information, such as brand, brand owner, end markets, and barcode details, for strategically important product groups within the construction and building industry, and retail sectors.
- Improved efficiency: We aim to reduce the time spent on the certification process by at least 15% per product compared to the non-digital application process, optimising workflows within the digital system.
- User satisfaction: We seek to achieve an average satisfaction score of at least 7 out of 10 from applicants using the digital application tool, ensuring that the system is user-friendly and meets their needs.
- Data-driven analysis: We are committed to utilising data-driven analysis in the development and adjustment of our ecolabel requirements.
Data collection: Making environmentally friendly choices easier
To facilitate environmentally conscious decisions, it's essential that information about Nordic Swan Ecolabelled products and services is available where consumers shop—especially on digital platforms. A critical factor in achieving this is having accurate product data in our own database, including barcode information. This allows seamless data exchange with various online platforms, making ecolabelled products more visible and accessible to consumers.
While we have significantly improved the level and quality of product information for those certified with the Nordic Swan Ecolabel, there's still work to be done. For instance, identifying brand owners can sometimes be more challenging than anticipated, and when we send data out for review, licensees and brand owners often provide more feedback than requested, inadvertently slowing down the process. But we judge that the goal of data collection and registration has been well reached.
Improved efficiency and user satisfaction
As the world becomes more digital, the opportunities to work smarter and more efficiently grow alongside technological advancements. For Nordic Ecolabelling to remain a trusted choice for companies looking to certify their products, we must provide efficient, user-friendly digital tools for applicants, suppliers, and administrators alike.
Building a user-friendly and efficient digital platform for certification has been a complex task. Our ecolabel requirements are lifecycle-based, meaning they involve multiple stakeholders, including suppliers and sub-suppliers. This adds layers of complexity to the certification process. Throughout the project, we've developed new functionalities and gathered invaluable insights from our users. With the help of UX experts, we've introduced new concepts that, when implemented, could address many of the current challenges—such as performance, user-friendliness, and collaboration throughout the supply chain.
Much has been improved and the user satisfaction will be measured through various surveys by the end of 2024.
Data-driven analysis
As we are digitising the certification process, it also means that data for ecolabelled products becomes more accessible for our criteria revision process. Instead of manually searching for the information, we now have a new way of getting the data available internally. Since we have not yet revise any of the digitised criteria, we have not had the chance to use this new opportunity – but it will be really useful in the future.