New rules strengthening the EU Ecolabel – the EU's label for environmentally friendly goods and services – enter into force this month following their publication at the end of January in the Official Journal of the European Union.

Important changes include even higher environmental standards, lower fees and simplified criteria linked to public purchasing and other EU policies.

The scheme currently covers 26 product groups, including cleaning products, electronic equipment and textiles. The European Commission aims to increase the number of product groups to 40-50 by 2015.