Labeling Programs (alphabetical list)

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Designers and planners can benefit from looking at the work of others. Here is a selection of labels and labeling programs. The first section consists of labels from actual labeling programs. The second section consists of proposed label designs that have not been implemented in a labeling program. This includes the Environmental Life-Cycle Rating Label (ELCRL) developed by Larson and Farkas.

By far the most complete list of appliance-focused energy labels is compiled by CLASP.

Operational labels and labeling programs

• Amazon Frustration Free Packaging Label

• American Beverage Clear On Calories

• Australian Energy Label

  Australian Government Department of Climate Change and Energy Consumption. Austrailia's energy consumption label prior to 2000.

• California Environmental Performance Label

• Carbon Trust Carbon Reduction Label

  Also see Carbon-label.com.

• Carbonfund.org Carbon Label

• China Energy Label

  

• EPA (US Environmental Protection Agency) Fuel Economy and Environmental Comparisons Label

  Revised automobile label from the US EPA includes more measures than the previous design.

• EPA (US Environmental Protection Agency) SunWise Program UV Index Scale

• EU Energy Efficiency Label

  Read more, EC unveils draft directive on energy efficiency

• Facts Up Front nutrition label

  In contrast to the Nutrition Facts label, this nutrition label prominently displays a limited number of nutrition measures.

• Food Pyramid information graphic (US Food and Drug Administration, US Department of Agriculture)

  Does not provide data or a rating for individual food products.

• FTC Energy Guide Label (US Federal Trade Commission)

• FTC Lighting Facts (US Federal Trade Commission)

  Will measure Lumens rather than Watts.

• HP Eco Highlights Label

  Read more, HP introduces new 'green' label for products

• New York City Restaurant Labels

• P&G (Proctor & Gamble) Future Friendly Label

• Pharos Lens Sustainability Label

  A very complex design with usability issues

• Rate My Professors Rating System

  A sophisticated design with multiple measures

• Scottish Tourist Board Visit Scotland Rating System

  Similar to many hospitality star rating systems

• Singapore National Environment Agency Energy Label

• Smart Choices Nutrition Labeling Program-discontinued after many objections

  W. Neuman, "For your health, Froot Loops," NYTimes.com. Originally published: September 4, 2009.

  Wellsphere: Health Knowledge Made Personal, "Smart Choices grocery program discontinued"

• TESCO (supermarket chain) Carbon Labeling Program

  Read more: Tesco's pledge to carbon-label all products set to take centuries

• Toyota Industries Environmental Friendly Product Certification and Labeling Program

• Wal-Mart Labeling Program

  S. Rosenbloom, "At Wal-Mart, labeling to reflect green intent," NYTimes.com. Originally published: July 15, 2009.

Proposed label designs and design ideas

• Faludi Eco-abel

  Here is a sophisticated design for an eco-label created by Jeremy Faludi, a freelance product designer and engineer specializing in eco-design. (J. Faludi, "Toward an eco-label," Package Design Magazine, 2007.)

• Gizmodo Label

  Gizmodo proposes a standardized life-cycle rating system for small digital devices.

• Homeland Security (US Government) Labeling Program

  They considered four possible designs for terror threat messaging. Very interesting design ideas.
  

  Institute of Medicine's nutrition label

  In contrast to the Nutrition Facts label, this design provides a numerical value only for calories and evaluates food products with a star-based rating system.

• Larson/Farkas ELCRL Environmental Impact Label

  Here is a highly flexible design for communicating complex life-cycle environmental impacts to consumers.

• Re-Think The Food Label Competition

  The University of California-Berkeley and the Art Center College of Design (Pasadena) conducted a competition for a new food label design. The competition generated a wide range of designs with commentary by a panel of judges.
  Read more from the NY Times.

• Woloshin and Schwartz Prescription Drug and Medication Packaging Label

  In this Op-Ed contribution to the New York Times, July 4, 2011, Steven Woloshin and Lisa M. Schwartz propose a package label for prescription drugs and other medications.