The European Union Ecolabel as a Legal Instrument of Sustainable Consumption

The European Union Ecolabel occupies a distinctive position between environmental regulation, consumer law, market governance and moral philosophy. Established as a voluntary, publicly administered, multi-criteria certification system, it translates complex life-cycle assessments into a recognisable sign intended to inform consumer decisions and induce improvements in production. This study argues that the scheme must be
understood neither as a simple marketing device nor as a substitute for mandatory environmental law. Rather, it is a form of institutionally mediated practical judgment whose legitimacy depends on epistemic reliability, fair distribution of responsibility, meaningful public participation and measurable ecological results. The analysis integrates Regulation (EC) No 66/2010 with the application of Directive (EU) 2024/825 in September 2026, the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation, the right-to-repair framework and public-procurement law. It then develops a normative assessment drawing upon intergenerational responsibility, justice as fairness, capabilities, discourse ethics and theories of collective action. Special attention is given to greenwashing, the ethical limits of consumer choice, unequal purchasing power, verification burdens, global supply chains and the distinction between relative product excellence and absolute ecological sufficiency. A four-dimensional model of legitimacy is advanced, requiring truthful claims, defensible substantive criteria, equitable accessibility and accountable institutional performance. The EU Ecolabel is shown to possess considerable potential as a legal infrastructure for sustainable consumption, but only when embedded within a broader transition that alters production standards, public purchasing, the durability of goods and the distribution of environmental burdens.

Keywords: EU Ecolabel, Environmental Ethics, Sustainable Consumption, Consumer Autonomy, Intergenerational Justice, Greenwashing, Public Law, Environmental Certification, Circular Economy, Distributive Justice.