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. 

• Application Guide - New licence or changes

  English
• Application Guide - Renewal of licence

  English

In the criteria document, you can read about how to document and verify compliance for each requirement.

• Criteria document

  English / 5.2

Information on the latest version of the criteria for hotels and other accomodations

5.1 ⇛ 5.2: Adjustment of criteria

Adjustment has been made in requirement O24 where it is now permitted to use capsules that consist of 100% renewable material, provided that material recycling of the capsules is ensured. A clarification that portion packs are permitted for room service has also been added.

The new version is called 5.2 and is valid until December 31, 2026.

5.0 ⇛ 5.1: Adjustment of criteria

Adjustments have been made in the following requirements:

• O22 Prevention of food waste
• O40 Prohibited substances

The new version is called 5.1 and is valid until December 31, 2026.

5.0: New criteria version

A new version of Nordic Ecolabel's criteria for hotels and other accomodation have been published. (Criteria for Food services and Conference facilities is from now on a new product group.) The most important changes in this version are:

• Limit value for energy use
• Prohibition of fossil oil or gas for heating.
• Energy and CO₂-reducing measures to limit the environmental footprint.
• Limit value for water use
• Efficient use of water
• Limit value for residual waste
• Effective sorting of waste to ensure recycling of materials and more circular use of resources
• Implementing routines to prevent food waste.
• No use of disposable items in daily serving.
• Strict environmental demands for single use items for catering, take-away and fast food
• Reduction of environmental footprint by serving more sustainable food.
• Measures to ensure biological diversity on the hotel grounds
• Use of ecolabelled products for general cleaning, dishwashing and laundry to limit undesirable chemicals.
• Use of several ecolabelled products and services.
• Training of employees to include everyone in the environmental work.

The new version, 5.0, is valid until 31 December 2026.

4.7 ⇛ 4.8: Prolongation of the validity of the criteria

The criteria have been prolonged with 5 months and are valid until 31 May 2022. The new version is 4.8.

4.6 ⇛ 4.7: Prolongation of the validity of the criteria

The criteria have been prolonged with 12 months and are valid until 31 December 2022. The new version is 4.7.

4.5 ⇛ 4.6: Prolongation of the validity of the criteria

The criteria have been prolonged with 12 months and are valid until 31 December 2021. The new version is 4.6.

4.4 ⇛ 4.5: New alternative requirements for restaurants and Prolongation of the validity of the criteria

A new chapter (Ch. 5 Alternative requirements for restaurants) with requirements for restaurants that do not operate with a hotel business or conference centre has been added to the criteria.

The most important differences in relation to the requirements for restaurants that operate with a hotel business or conference centre are:

• No obligatory limit values on energy and water.
• The requirements for organic food and beverages have become stricter.
• New requirements on food waste.

The new version, 4.5, is valid until December 31, 2020.

4.3 ⇛ 4.4: Alteration of criteria

Changes have been made in requirements O38 Minimum proportion of organic foodstuffs and beverages and P28 Organic food and beverages.

The new version, 4.4, is valid until December 31st 2018.

4.2 ⇛ 4.3: Clarification of criteria

• O17: A clarification of the documentation requirement has been introduced.

The new version, 4.3, is valid until December 31st 2018.

4.1 ⇛ 4.2: Adjustment of criteria

Adjustments have been made in the following requirements:

• O5: Limit values for water consumption
• O6: Limit values for waste
• O11: Ecolabelled cleaning products
• P23: Ecolabel durable goods
• P24: Ecolabelled services
• O25/O38: Minimum proportion of organic foodstuffs and beverages
• P28: Organic foods and beverages

Furthermore, requirement O34, marketing, has been removed from all criteria documents.

The new version, 4.2, is valid until December 31st 2018.

4.0 ⇛ 4.1: Adjustment of criteria

Adjustments have been made in the following requirements:

• O4 Limit values for energy
• O38 Minimum proportion of organic foodstuffs and beverages
• O39 Vegetarian dishes
• P30 Vegetarian restaurant
• O34 Marketing: A new requirement has been introduced.
• O2 Conference facilities: External suppliers of restaurant services
• O15 Purchasing procedures – chemical products
• P14 Dosage of dishwasher drying agents
• O19 When purchasing Newly purchased low energy lamps, fluorescent tubes and LEDs
• O25/O38 Minimum proportion of organic foodstuffs and beverages
• P28 Organic food and beverages
• P29 Proportion of fish and shellfish labelled as sustainable

The new version, containing all changes above is 4.1. It is valid until December 31st 2018.

4.0: New criteria version

A new version of Nordic Ecolabel's criteria for hotels, restaurants and conference facilities have been published. The most important changes in this version are:

• The criteria for hotels and restaurants have been merged into one document.
• The criteria now also include conferences (without accomodation)
• It is now possible to apply for a licence in the Baltic States.
• An energy tool has been developed to calculate business-specific limit values relating to the type of business, plus its heating method, area, number of guests, climate zone, etc.
• There is a new electronic application guide, My Swan Account that also are further developed with a product data base for chemicals.
• New in this version is point requirement on CO2-emissions.
• New obligatory requirement on the use of fossil oil in oil boilers at the premise.
• The limit values for water and waste have been retained, but are calculated in a different way compared with previous criteria for hotels. For restaurants limit values on these parameters are new in this version and therefore a tightening.
• The requirements on fish that may not be served have been tightened up.
• The requirement on serving vegetarian dishes is now obligatory.

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.

• Background document

  English / 5.2
• Consultation comments

  Norwegian / 5.2