Certification mark

As a seal of approval, quality mark or seal of quality graphic or written product labels are referred to, they shall make a statement about the quality of a product, possibly over -compliance with safety requirements or environmental characteristics.

The purpose of these mostly privately supported "seal" or " sign" should be, on the one hand to supply consumers with positive indications about the quality or characteristics of a product and on the other hand emphasize the manufacturer of a product as a particularly trustworthy provider. This existing trust structures and their inherent function are already assured as originally communicative - label, extended and formalized.

Definition of ' mark '

The linguistic distinction to the term mark / seal of approval is not set, a demarcation possibility arises from the fact that goodness or quality of characters to represent a particular use quality or comfort while mark to point rather to the audited compliance with safety-related properties. Partial results in some overlap of both target directions.

Character editor

Basically, anyone can create a test or seal of approval, there are no legal provisions to. In many cases, manufacturer and supplier of a given product in a quality community have come together to create a product-related quality certificate, such as the carpet seal or the Woolmark. There have also established cross-sectoral institutions that primarily deal with the organization, administration and assignment of test or labels.

Deception and abuse

Due to the lack of legal regulation organizations, initiatives and companies can issue more new seal with more or less transparent and rigorous standards and market. Not infrequently even imagine manufacturers themselves a seal of approval for its own products, such as a measure of greenwashing. So there alone on the German market over 1,000 different labels and label, making it end users as well as impossible to evaluate the respective quality marks without consultation.

Design of the markings

The markings used as signs are predominantly in a personalized manner specified graphically and stylistically designed icons or icon and can be used with this design uniform. This ensures a high level of recognition and differentiation from competing or different type of character. The watermarking can be mounted directly on the product or on the accompanying information and documentary evidence, the latter is especially the case with services.

List of logos

• Food Central Marketing Organization of German Agricultural Industries
• AMA seal of approval, a group of government quality mark in Austria
• German Agricultural Society - DLG-award checks annually about 27,000 food from home and abroad
• QS mark - safety and transparency in food production
• SGS Institute Fresenius - checks foods, even hygiene and cleaning products
• Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) - Sustainable Fishing

• Environmental Label Jury
• Organic Seal - for products of organic farming
• Organic signs Austria - Austrian State Biozeichen: AMA label
• Blue Flag - an eco-label of the tourism industry
• Blue Angel - for environmentally friendly products and services
• European Eco-label ( EUR Blume) - for healthy and environmentally friendly products
• Green Power Label - certification of green electricity offerings
• Ok-power label - certification of green electricity offerings
• Nature plus - eco-friendly, health -friendly building products and furnishings
• Nutek - Energy saving function
• ÖkoControl - for pollution-free furniture, mattresses and bedding made ​​of natural materials
• Oeko-Tex - for pollution- free textiles
• Energy Savers Plaque - electronic equipment that consume relatively little power when in standby mode and can be switched off in a simple manner entirely.

• TUV, LGA and others ( approved bodies for issuing the " GS mark " )
• Energy Star - for energy-saving appliances
• Ergonomics Approved - for ergonomic office furniture, screens and software
• TCO ( 92, 95, 99, 03) - for the ergonomic quality of computer screens
• SKZ for plastic products

• EHI Certified online shop - approval mark for the EHI Retail Institute for online trading
• Euro - Label - Austrian E -Commerce quality mark - mark the ÖIAT for online trading
• Safer Shopping - certification of TUV SUD Management Service for Online Specials
• Trusted Shops - Label for online trading
• Independent Centre for Privacy Protection Schleswig -Holstein

• RAL German Institute for Quality Assurance and Certification
• TCO

• How the quality of Sport for Health of the German Sports Federation and bonus health of the German Gymnastics Federation characterize health-promoting sports programs
• The non-profit Foundation for Health certified health counselor and websites on health topics, create transparency and safety for patients
• HONcode is a certificate for health related websites, which is awarded by the Swiss Foundation Health On the Net Foundation
• The quality of the logo AFGIS eV records high quality health information on the Internet from
• The cachet of the Campaign for Healthier Backs (AGR ) eV is awarded to proven back-friendly products

• Fair - trade label - the sign of TransFair eV for fair trade
• Rugmark characters - carpets without child labor
• Flower Label - label of the Flower Label Program eV for cut flowers, which are produced under socially and environmentally responsible conditions
• The seal of approval SmS - " Systematic Safety " of the professional associations (BG metal, quarry -BG ) advertises for systematically and safely operated occupational health and safety in operation.

• Eco-label for alpine huts
• Protected Designation of Origin

Other types of certification systems

In many cases, "Test - judgments " in the typical glyph form as designated by the Stiftung Warentest or Öko-Test as a seal of approval. Watch for signs of this type with the individual test judgment ( eg, " Very good") is usually printed. So that they contain a single product rating and are in the proper sense no universal " seal of approval ", but evaluative " predicates ".

The CE marking and notes on fulfilling DIN standards of products can also be regarded as a hallmark in some way, since they are based on statements about certain product properties.

In the GDR, the grades of industrial and handicraft products were characterized by the quality mark.

Assessment of quality labels

The logo or symbol itself contains no qualitative statement in itself. To what extent and with what specification a test or seal of approval is really a special product quality, usually only arises from the underlying regulations, rules or other sign-related statements.

Are on the web page of the CONSUMER INITIATIVE eV four rating categories mentioned, which may be relevant to the assessment of " quality mark ":

• Claim: what criteria is assessed?
• Independence are recognized and independent institutions involved in setting the criteria?
• Verifiability: A check is made by recognized and independent institutes?
• Transparency: all criteria and evaluation standards disclosed?

Reversal of valuation intentions

Some label arisen because by they reached the opposite of what was initially intended.

• Well known is the story of 'Made in Germany: end of the 19th century, tried in the UK, to protect themselves with the marking of imported goods against supposedly inferior imitation products. The British trademark law of 23 August 1887 ( Merchandise Marks Act 1887) before wrote that on goods the country of origin is clearly indicated. This should serve to protect the British economy from goods imported from the continent. Some provisions were tightened in the First World War, making it easier for the British to recognize the products of antiwar and boycott. Since the quality of the German department of the respective quality of domestic products abroad was often superior, had "Made in Germany" often as a seal of quality. The negative imaginary product labeling was reversed into its opposite ( see here).

• Banned in Boston ( forbidden in Boston ) called it when a book, play or movie was ruled by a Boston censorship from the sale or the performance in Boston. The term and the label " Banned in Boston " became a kind of trademark for 'adult -free culture work. Partial gave commercial dealer works as Banned in Boston, although this was not the case, or attended by its own activities that their work was on the list of banned works.

• Analogously, age restrictions on films ( FSK) or age restrictions for alcohol and cigarettes exercise something that is also called the " lure of the forbidden " (see reactance ( psychology) ).