Sri Lanka is moving to strengthen its national eco-labelling system, but the success of the initiative may ultimately depend on whether the country can overcome fragmented standards, limited verification capacity and the risk of greenwashing.
More than 50 representatives from government, industry, certification bodies, eco-labelling scheme owners, technical institutions and development organisations recently met under the European Union-funded Green Recovery Facility to examine how the National Eco-Labelling Framework (NELF) can be strengthened and harmonised.
The consultation, organised through Expertise France in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment, comes four years after Sri Lanka launched the framework in 2022. Since then, several sector-specific initiatives have emerged, including the Green Label of the Green Building Council of Sri Lanka and energy-rating programmes led by the Sri Lanka Sustainable Energy Authority.
The existence of multiple schemes, however, highlights a central challenge: consumers may encounter different environmental claims and certification criteria without a single, widely recognised national system to establish what constitutes a genuinely sustainable product.
That problem is not unique to Sri Lanka. Globally, nearly 1.8 million products carry recognised eco-labels, while more than 300 eco-labels are estimated to exist in the United States alone. In Europe, six in 10 consumers reportedly find it difficult to distinguish credible environmental claims from misleading ones.
The figures underline why simply increasing the number of environmental labels is not enough. A national system must establish clear criteria, independent verification and transparent governance if consumers are to trust the claims printed on products.
The Green Recovery Facility is therefore assessing existing schemes, aligning technical criteria and examining governance and verification arrangements. It is also developing a practical implementation roadmap and supporting capacity-building for existing and emerging scheme owners.
Stakeholders identified three immediate priorities: linking eco-labelling with Green Public Procurement, strengthening testing and verification capacity, and introducing the national system through a phased and tested rollout.
These priorities point to the weaknesses that could undermine the initiative if left unresolved. Without adequate laboratories, technical expertise and credible verification mechanisms, national recognition could become a branding exercise rather than a meaningful environmental standard.
There is also a market question. Eco-labelling will only influence production if consumers demand certified products and businesses see commercial value in meeting the requirements. Linking the system with Green Public Procurement could provide that demand by allowing government purchasing to reward products that meet recognised environmental standards.
A proposed tiered recognition system could also allow businesses at different stages of their sustainability journey to enter the national framework. But its credibility will depend on how rigorously the tiers are defined and monitored.
Sri Lanka’s next challenge is therefore not merely creating an eco-label. It is building a system that consumers, businesses and international markets can trust. The forthcoming work on harmonised criteria, technical capacity and implementation will determine whether NELF becomes an effective tool against greenwashing—or another addition to an already crowded certification landscape.
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