The product group includes concentrated liquid hand dishwashing detergents for both private and professional use. Also concentrated mix-it-yourself hand dishwashing products, like tablets to be dissolved in water, are included. Ready-to-use products are not included.
The substances included in a Nordic Swan Ecolabel hand dishwashing detergent must meet strict environmental and health requirements. This means banning several substances. In addition, there are requirements for performance and design of the packaging to limit both quantity of material and waste of the products.
The requirements include:
- Environmental properties such as degradability, bioaccumulability and toxicity to aquatic organisms of the chemical substances used.
- Health properties of chemical substances used. There is a ban on substances classified to cause cancer, as toxic to reproduction or to potentially damage genetic material. Also, identified or potential endocrine disruptors on up-to-date lists from EU and national authorities are banned, and it is not allowed to add PFAS.
- No fragrances in products for professional use.
- No use of microplastics.
- Only use of RSPO certified palm oil or palm kernel oil.
- Performance test
- Design of packaging – and both quantity and type of material for the packaging.
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 | |
| Application for a new licence including inspection of four recipes | 3 401 EUR |
| Inspection of additional recipes | 849 EUR per recipe. |
| Application for a renewal including inspection of four recipes when the requirements have been tightened | 1 699 EUR |
| Inspection of additional recipes | 424 EUR per recipe. |
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
Should the extension regard inspection of recipes, which are not already included in the licence, 849 EUR excl. VAT will be charged per recipe.
Other types of alterations will be charged according to how long it takes to deal with the matter:
| 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 | |
| Application for a new licence including inspection of four recipes | 3 348 EUR |
| Inspection of additional recipes | 836 EUR per recipe. |
| Application for a renewal including inspection of four recipes when the requirements have been tightened | 1 673 EUR |
| Inspection of additional recipes | 418 EUR per recipe. |
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
Should the extension regard inspection of recipes, which are not already included in the licence, 836 EUR excl. VAT will be charged per recipe.
Other types of alterations will be charged according to how long it takes to deal with the matter:
| 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.
Nordic Ecolabelling decided on 5 December, 2025, to adopt generation 7 of the criteria for hand dishwashing detergents. The criteria are valid until 28 February 2031.
6.12 ⇛ 6.13: Prolongation of the validity of the criteria
Nordic Ecolabelling decided on 25 November, 2025, to prolong the validity of the criteria until 28 February, 2027. The new version is called 6.13.
6.10 ⇛ 6.12: Adjustment of requirement
On 12 November, 2024 Nordic Ecolabelleling decided to exempt up to 1% amidoamine in betaine raw materials from the H317 prohibition in requirement O5. The new version is called 6.12.
6.10 ⇛ 6.11: Prolongation of the validity of the criteria
Nordic Ecolabelling decided on 10 December, 2024, to prolong the validity of the criteria until 31 October, 2026. The new version is called 6.11.
6.9 ⇛ 6.10: Adjustment of requirement
On 13 August 2024 Nordic Ecolabelling decided to allow IFS standard for Household and Personal care as an alternative to ISO9001 (Appendix 1). The new version is called 6.10.
6.8 ⇛ 6.9: Adjustment of requirement
On 28 May 2024 Nordic Ecolabelling decided to exempt closures with membrane composed of floating silicon for PET squeeze bottles from the silicon prohibition in requirement O14A. The new version is called 6.9.
6.7 ⇛ 6.8: Adjustment of requirement
An adjustment is made in O14 B Labels for rigid plastic packaging – the transition period is prolonged until 2024-12-31. Also, editorial change in O14 A.
6.6 ⇛ 6.7: Adjustment of requirement
On 31 Januari 2023, Nordic Ecolabelling decided to adjust requirement O14B by exempting lightly metallised labels, on the condition that the packaging is as recyclabel as packaging with a label without metal.
The new version is called 6.7 and is valid to 31 December 2025.
6.5 ⇛ 6.6: Adjustment of requirement and prolongation of the criteria
On 18 October 2022 Nordic Ecolabelling decided to adjust requirement O15 by increasing the permitted amount of EVOH in flexible plastic bags from 2% to 5%. In connection with this appendix 4 has been adjusted. The validity of the criteria has also been prolonged with 12 months. Then new version is called 6.6 and is valid until December 31, 2025.
6.4 ⇛ 6.5: Extension 025 Hand dishwashing detergents
On the 29 March 2022 Nordic Ecolabelling decided to adjust requirement O10 by also exempting H411 classified surfactants from the requirement. The new version is called 6.5 and is valid until 31 december 2024.
6.3 ⇛ 6.4: Extension of the productgroup and prolongation of the validity of the criteria
The product group has been extended with handdishwashing tablets. The validity of the criteria has also been prolonged with 14 months. Appendix 2 and 4 have also been adjusted. The new version, 6.4, is valid until 31 December 2024.
6.2 ⇛ 6.3: Prolongation of the validity of the criteria
The validity of the criteria has been prolonged with 12 months. Appendix 3 has also been adjusted. The new version, 6.3, is valid until 31 October 2023.
6.1 ⇛ 6.2: Adjustment of requirements
Packaging requirements O14 and O15 have been adjusted to harmonize with the corresponding requirements in 006 Laundry detergents and stain removers. The new version is called 6.2.
6.0 ⇛ 6.1: Adjustment of requirements
In claim O14, an exception for metal in pumps for liquid soap has been added. The new version is called 6.1.
6.0 New generation criteria
The Nordic Ecolabelling Board has validated a new generation of criteria for Hand dishwasing detergents the13 of March 2018. This version, 6.0, is valid until 2022-10-31.
5.5 ⇛ 5.6: Extension of criteria’s validity
The criteria’s validity has been prolonged with 3 months. The new version, 5.6, is valid until 31 December 2019.
5.4 ⇛ 5.5: Extension of criteria’s validity
The criteria’s validity has been prolonged. The new version, 5.5, is valid until September 30th 2019.
5.3 ⇛ 5.4: Extension of criteria’s validity
The criteria’s validity has been prolonged. The new version, 5.4, is valid until March 31st 2019.
5.2 ⇛ 5.3: Alteration of criteria
A change in requirement R2, limitied by time (until January 31st 2016), has been adopted. The new version, 5.3, is valid until December 31st, 2017.
5.1 ⇛ 5.2: Extension of validity and alteration
- The criteria for Nordic Ecolabelled hand dishwashing detergents have been prolonged with 21 months.
- A modification in R13 has been adopted.
- The requirement regarding marketing has been removed.
The new version, 5.2, is valid until December 31st 2017.
5.0 ⇛ 5.1: Alteration of criterium R11
R11 Long-term environmental effects: Change due to the 2nd Adaptation to Technical Progress (ATP) to the CLP Regulation: “Surfactants classified with H411 or H412 are exempted from the requirement, provided that they are readily degradable* and anaerobically degradable**.”