Be a market leader and make genuine impact
Eco Choice Aotearoa serves as a credible seal of approval in a market often clouded by greenwashing.
To apply for certification, first check which standard is most relevant to your product or service. If you’re unsure, or we don’t appear to cover your category, please get in touch.
Why get certified with Eco Choice Aotearoa?
- Gain a competitive edge with independent, third-party verification
- Build brand trust and improve customer loyalty
- Boost employee engagement and retention with your strong sustainability stance
- Adopt a more resilient and efficient operating model
- Stay ahead of environmental regulations and trade rules
- Make your business more attractive to investors, lenders and insurers
Global standards, local impact
Eco Choice Aotearoa is a member of the Global Ecolabelling Network (GEN) with ‘sister’ ecolabels in important export markets.
The ecolabel follows International Organization for Standardization global principles and procedures for Type l ecolabels (ISO 14024).
Eco Choice Aotearoa is highly regarded by Green Building Councils and the United States Environmental Protection Agency.
How it works
If you’re confident you meet our criteria, fill-out our application form, and pay the one-off application fee.
Eco Choice will review your application, and allocate an independent auditor to conduct an onsite visit. If your product is manufactured overseas, we have a global network of trusted, independent auditors we can call on.
Prior to the onsite visit, the auditor will provide you with a quote for their work. Quotes are dependent on the number of products, the size and complexity of the manufacturing facility. Once you accept the quote, you and your auditor will set a date for the onsite inspection.
We’ll conduct an onsite audit to ensure your sourcing and manufacturing processes comply with our standards. Businesses with exemplary compliance and low-risk supply chains will be subject to biennial site audits.
The auditor will prepare their report and make a recommendation to Eco Choice Aotearoa.
Eco Choice Aotearoa will provide you with the audit report and let you know if your application has been successful. Upon payment of your annual licence fee (see fee structure below) you will be issued with your official Eco Choice Aotearoa licence and brand kit.
To ensure you’re able to leverage the benefits of the ecolabel as soon as possible, and help the non-profit manage staff time, there is an expectation the certification process will be completed within 12 months.
Eco Choice Aotearoa is an ongoing commitment.
Businesses must review and sign their applicant statements on an annual basis, notifying us of any changes. In between site-audits, companies must still track their waste, energy and water usage and any other requirements stipulated in the relevant product or service standard.
Application fees
Applicants are charged a one-off application fee ($1,000.00) to cover a preliminary assessment. Only if an application is successful, will they be subject to an annual licensing fee to use the ecolabel. This fee goes toward the operation and maintenance of the ecolabeling programme.
For products and services, Eco Choice Aotearoa uses a tiered fee structure (dependent on the annual turnover of the certified product or service) to make the ecolabel as accessible as possible.
Please note, independent auditing is additional, and quoted on a case-by-case basis according to the scale and complexity of the assessment.
- Declared Total Annual Ex-Factory Value NZ$ (total ex-warehouse value NZ$ for imported product)
- Annual Licence Fee (plus GST)
- Net sales value is the total value invoiced of the product which is licensed to use the Eco Choice Aotearoa label
Responsible Workplace
Our pricing structure differs for organisations applying to be certified as a Responsible Workplace.
If successful, a business will be charged on annual license fee based on head count (regardless of whether they are full or part-time, permanent or contract, or work from home). This is because the certification does not relate to the product or service offered by the company, but levels of consumption and waste produced by its office-based activities.
Applicants for Responsible Workplace, will be charged a $1,000 application fee to cover a preliminary assessment. Independent auditing is additional.