Environmentally friendly (also
eco-friendly,
nature friendly, and
green) are ambiguous terms used to refer to
goods and services,
laws, guidelines and policies claimed to inflict reduced, minimal, or no harm at all, upon
ecosystems or the
environment. Companies sometimes use these terms to make environmental marketing claims when promoting goods and services, for example with eco-labels. Doing so is sometimes referred to as
greenwashing.
The
International Organization for Standardization has developed ISO 14020 and ISO 14024 to establish principles and procedures for environmental labels and declarations that certifiers and eco-labellers should follow. In particular, these standards relate to the avoidance of financial
conflicts of interest, the use of sound
scientific methods and accepted test procedures, and
openness and
transparency in the setting of standards.