Criteria for awarding an environmental labelling licence for compost bins have been drawn up for containers intended to compost organic household waste and garden waste.
Both year-round compost bins (group A) and bins which can only operate during the warmer part of the year (group B) are included in the criteria document.
The central objective of the criteria is to ensure satisfactory performance of the compost bins. The year-round compost bins must undergo a thorough performance test over a period of 3 months in temperature down to – 3oC.Chemicals which are particularly hazardous to the environment may not be used during the manufacturing of the container.
The requirement to use recycled materials for compost bins with frames of plastic will increase the utilization of available recycled raw material.Comprehensive user instructions make it easier to control the biological process taking place in the container, thus minimizing adverse effects on the performance while in use.
Material descriptions will make it easier to recycle or dispose of the materials of the composting container at the end of its life cycle.A warranty and a spare part service can extend the working life of compost bins.
Welcome to apply for a Nordic Swan Ecolabel licence!
This is how you do:
- Read the application guide.
- Log in to the Nordic Ecolabelling Portal.
- Start your application.
If this is the first time you are applying, the authorized signatory must fill in your company information and approve the application conditions. In this way, you get login to the portal and the right to assign access to other colleagues.
Some special cases can not be done in the Nordic Ecolabelling Portal. Contact your advisor for such cases. More information can be found on Application step by step.
| Valid from 1/1 2026 | Amount excluding VAT |
| Application fee | |
| Inspection of 2 models tested for functionality is included in the application fee. | 3 401 EUR |
| Inspection of additional models | 1 699 EUR |
| Application for a renewed licence when the requirements have been tightened | |
| Inspection of 2 models tested for functionality is included in the fee. | 1 699 EUR |
| Inspection of additional models | 849 EUR |
Annual licence fee
The licence fee for the Nordic Swan Ecolabelled products is based on their turnover in the Nordic region.
| Up to 31.394 million EUR. | 0,3% of the products’ turnover |
| More than 31.394 million EUR. | 0,05% of the products’ turnover |
| Minimum fee in the Nordic region | 2 267 EUR per year. |
| Fixed fee applicable to turnover outside the Nordic region | 2 267 EUR per year for turnover exceeding 300 000 EUR. |
Fee for extension / change of licence
Fixed fee that is charged depending on how long the work takes.
| Up to 4 hours | 424 EUR |
| 4-8 hours | 849 EUR |
| 8 or more hours | 1 699 EUR |
Fee for on-site inspections
One on-site visit within the Nordic region is included in the application for a new or renewed licence.
| Additional on-site inspection within the Nordic region | 565 EUR per visit |
| On-site inspection outside the Nordic region, but within Europe | 1 699 EUR per visit |
| On-site inspection outside Europe | 2 834 EUR per visit |
| Additional fee for on-site inspections lasting longer than one day | 1 132 EUR per day |
About the fees
For clarification of fees, click here.
Ecolabelling Sweden AB has no financial profit purpose and is financed through the fees above along with an annual government grant. The company is however liable for VAT according to article 56 of the European Council Directive 2006/112/EC.
Invoicing is made in SEK with the exchange rate from the first banking day of the year.
When both the applicant and the manufacturer are micro-enterprises, the application fee is reduced by 50%. A micro-enterprise is in this context defined as an enterprise with less than 10 employees and an annual turnover (of both ecolabelled and not ecolabelled products) below 2 million EUR.
| Valid from 1/1 2025 | Amount excluding VAT |
| Application fee | |
| Inspection of 2 models tested for functionality is included in the application fee. | 3 348 EUR |
| Inspection of additional models | 1 673 EUR |
| Application for a renewed licence when the requirements have been tightened | |
| Inspection of 2 models tested for functionality is included in the fee. | 1 673 EUR |
| Inspection of additional models | 836 EUR |
Annual licence fee
The licence fee for the Nordic Swan Ecolabelled products is based on their turnover in the Nordic region.
| Up to 30.9 million EUR. | 0,3% of the products’ turnover |
| More than 30.9 million EUR. | 0,05% of the products’ turnover |
| Minimum fee in the Nordic region | 2 232 EUR per year. |
| Fixed fee applicable to turnover outside the Nordic region | 2 232 EUR per year for turnover exceeding 300 000 EUR. |
Fee for extension / change of licence
Fixed fee that is charged depending on how long the work takes.
| Up to 4 hours | 418 EUR |
| 4-8 hours | 836 EUR |
| 8 or more hours | 1 673 EUR |
Fee for on-site inspections
One on-site visit within the Nordic region is included in the application for a new or renewed licence.
| Additional on-site inspection within the Nordic region | 557 EUR per visit |
| On-site inspection outside the Nordic region, but within Europe | 1 673 EUR per visit |
| On-site inspection outside Europe | 2 790 EUR per visit |
| Additional fee for on-site inspections lasting longer than one day | 1 115 EUR per day |
About the fees
For clarification of fees, click here.
Ecolabelling Sweden AB has no financial profit purpose and is financed through the fees above along with an annual government grant. The company is however liable for VAT according to article 56 of the European Council Directive 2006/112/EC.
Invoicing is made in SEK with the exchange rate from the first banking day of the year.
When both the applicant and the manufacturer are micro-enterprises, the application fee is reduced by 50%. A micro-enterprise is in this context defined as an enterprise with less than 10 employees and an annual turnover (of both ecolabelled and not ecolabelled products) below 2 million EUR.
Information on the latest version of the criteria for compost bins
Version 4 of the Nordic Ecolabelling criteria for compost bins have been published. The criteria are valid until October 31, 2029.
3.2 ⇛ 3.3: Prolongation of the criteria
The validity of the criteria has been prolonged with 24 months. The new version is called 3.3 and is valid until 30 June 2025.
3.1 ⇛ 3.2: Adjustment of requirement and prolongation of the validity of the criteria
- Requirement O10 has been adjusted regarding titanium dioxide in powder form.
In addition, the validity of the criteria have been extended by 24 months. The new version is called 3.2 and is valid until 30 June 2023.
3.0 ⇛ 3.1: Prolongation of the criteria
The validity of the criteria has been prolonged with 24 months. The name of the new version is 3.1 and is valid until June 30, 2021.
3.0: New criteria generation
Version 3 of Nordic Ecolabelling’s criteria for compost bins has been published. The criteria are valid until June 30, 2019.