LONGTIME® is a voluntary scheme based on the assessment of 38 criteria relating to the life cycle of products, and is designed for manufactured goods built to last.
The assessment of the LONGTIME® framework must be carried out by an organisation with independent third-party body and enables. In the event of success, a licence to use the label is granted. This allows the company to indicate to end users of its products that they are environmentally preferable.
The overall aim of environmental labels and declarations is to encourage and meet the demand for products with a lower environmental impact. Environmental declarations must provide accurate and verifiable information. Furthermore, this information must not be misleading regarding the environmental aspects of the products in question.
In this article, we demonstrate the compliance of LONGTIME®, in a manner that is rigorous and transparent, with the standards ISO 14020 and ISO 14024. In addition to the aspects of compliance mentioned in this text, our transparency and the regular and in-depth consultations withstakeholders are fully integrated into a governance that is very strongly focused on CSR.
We demonstrate that we comply with all the principles of the standard ISO 14024. All of our communication materials enable all the stakeholders to assess and compare ourassertion in terms of methodology with other methodologies that may exist.
Our objectives are simple:
- promote certain products whose environmental externalities are absolutely minimised throughout all the stages of their most important phases of their life cycle the a14> most important stages of their life cycle, and
- to guide consumers towards more reliable products that are more reliable, more robust and more repairable.
Sustainability, repairability and the environmental benefits associated with them are some of the factors, of concepts which play a part in a large part of the life cycle of the product.
How does LONGTIME comply with the ISO 14020 and ISO 14024 standards?
Our environmental statement complies with the principles of the ISO 14020 series of standards and, more specifically, with the ISO 14024 standards relating to Type I labels; eco-labels.
Durability (reliability and repairability) and life extension are now clearly considered as environmental concepts. Public policies are working hard to improve production practices by imposing increasingly stringent regulations on these aspects. (Règlement ESPR, Right To Repair, Indice Réparaibilité Français…).
The LONGTIME® label informs the consumer about the durability, in a precise manner, based on verified and relevant information. It must necessarily cover the whole of the product and not just single part or a single sub-assembly.
The main objective of the LONGTIME® label is to provide information on the sustainable character of products and thus avoid the pitfall of losing the consumer in numerous criteria that can sometimes be hazardous.
LONGTIME® is an international certification that, by its very nature, is intended for consumers worldwide. Regardless of geographical origin, it is not intended to promote national preference or create barriers to international trade.
The label, the certification framework and all documents related to the LONGTIME® certification process are translated into several languages and made accessible to companies worldwide, subject to the technical and human resources available to the organisation responsible for the label.
The name of the label was chosen to be easily understood by as many consumers as possible around the world.
The LONGTIME® Certification Mark
Since the creation of the LONGTIME® label, particular attention has been paid to ensuring that the information conveyed to end users is as clear and understandable as possible, thereby maximising its impact. The design of the LONGTIME® product label fully complies with the principles set out in ISO 14020 and ISO 14024.
The LONGTIME® product label has been designed to be easy to read and to leave no ambiguity regarding the meaning and scope of the certification. Its distinctive shape, symbols and colours make it easily recognisable among other labels.
The LONGTIME® product label features the certification logo, designed by experienced graphic designer Gilles Dussart.
We use a symbol that we have designed ourselves and that is distinct from all other symbols that currently exist, especially in the field of environmental claims, in order to avoid any risk of confusion or comparison with another environmental claim.
The logo features an hourglass to symbolise the passage of time, gears to represent manufactured products, and a drop-shaped globe to convey the impact on natural resources. These symbols are simple, universal, easily recognisable and readily reproducible, making them understandable to a wide audience. Care has also been taken to ensure that the LONGTIME® product labels do not depict any natural objects.
Our process provides for the provision of a pack of digital files enabling the use of the label without requiring any specialised knowledge in IT or graphic design.
The design of the logo, its symbols and the product label is fully adaptable to the targeted product categories. The minimum size requirements even allow the label to be displayed on small products, such as smartphones, while maintaining excellent legibility.
Despite the significant overlap between repairability and recyclability criteria, we have deliberately chosen not to incorporate the Möbius loop, as defined in ISO 7000 and represented by three interlocking arrows forming a triangle, since recyclability is not the subject of our environmental claim.
Furthermore, we have taken care to avoid using any other symbols or numerical indications that could mislead consumers about the environmental claim conveyed by LONGTIME® (natural imagery, “100%” claims, etc.).
Explanatory information on the LONGTIME® label
The explanatory notes provided on the environmental LONGTIME® label enable us to be 200 per cent certain that our claim is not open to interpretation or a source of misunderstanding. A field survey, carried out on among consumers in a blind test, has helped to reinforce this position.
We have taken great care to exclude all allegations regarding the environment that are vague, vague or imprecise of the “respectful of…”, “green” or even “sustainable” which are some terms that are too generic and not very objective.
In addition to the logo, the label’s structure always includes a simple, clear and legible baseline “Designed to last” on the front, as well as a statement expressing the label’s independence from any corporation. It leaves no room for misinterpretation. These concepts are translated into international reference languages.
On the reverse, the label includes a short explanatory text to dispel any doubts regarding the scope of the label: “The LONGTIME® label guarantees that this product meets the requirements relating to durability, repairability, quality of the after-sales service.”
The reverse side includes also the website of the label enabling each of the interested parties to consult the factual technical database freely and at no cost which constitutes the 38 criteria of the framework that constitute the 38 criteria of the LONGTIME® framework as well as the prerequisites for the label. This link enables all professionals to check, to check the procedure and the methodology required to achieve certification.
All explanatory statements are very short. The “designed to last”, “Label Independent” and additional explanatory statements are all located on the label in close proximity to each other (front and back) so that they can be easily associated by the label reader.
Regardless of the product category bearing the LONGTIME® label, the wording remains strictly identical and cannot be altered or reformulated. This prevents any misinterpretation of the product label or any suggestion of environmental benefits beyond those explicitly stated.
The scope of the LONGTIME label
The information derived from the analysis of the life cycle of the scope of the products manufactured covered by the LONGTIME® label consistently reveal that the the environmental impacts associated with the upstream phases of products are minimal account for 50 per cent of the environmental footprint of the products.
This characteristic of manufactured products is supported by a large number of studies and scientific scientific data which now largely corroborate this assumption.
Extending the life span is one of the effective means of eco-design to reduce the environmental impact of manufactured products. This is even more true for energy-related products, ERP* and EEE**. It is with this information in mind that the LONGTIME® label criteria were developed.
Incorporating the concept of sustainability into our environmental claim – which implicitly involves assessing reliability, reparability and the key stages of the product’s life cycle – enables us to have a positive influence on the environmental impact of our products.
Indeed, extending a product’s service life almost always generates environmental benefits. However, in rare cases, the reduction in environmental impacts associated with manufacturing and end-of-life treatment achieved by extending product lifetimes may be outweighed by the improved energy efficiency of new products incorporating breakthrough technologies.
Since the scientific consensus has been reached on the very important role in the life cycle of manufactured products from the production phases, the process of certification does not necessarily always require an LCA study.
However, in order to be certain that the LONGTIME® assertion is valid for the entire cycle, the label introduces requirements for the use phase (ecological, energy or pollutant emission threshold) based on the best market practices. Il en va de même pour la phase de fin de vie.
The environmental claim made by LONGTIME® is perfectly suited to families of products for which sustainability and repairability can truly be a factor in reducing environmental impact, and be assessed, whatever its situation or context of use.
Note that our label does not state that the product carrying the LONGTIME® claim is comparatively superior to the others. In fact, our process for awarding contracts is not based on comparative analyses between products, but is based on compliance with the 38 criteria of the LONGTIME® framework V2. However, there is no doubt that the requirement of the The specifications of the LONGTIME® label will place the labeled products among the best in their categories.
Un label pour des produits innovants :
The LONGTIME® label has also been designed to adapt to technological innovations and technological breakthroughs. Greater emphasis is placed the highlighting of the reliability of new technologies will be introduced, but this is by no means discriminatory.
The requirements of the criteria are mainly expressed in quantifiable data, accessibility scales, availability time of spare parts in years, ceiling price of spare parts expressed in % of the price of the new product, access time to the after-sales service in days (non-exhaustive list); in order to give substance to certain descriptive or theoretical characteristics such as the durability or the reliability.
NB “It should be noted that the ISO 14024 standard states that claims relating to sustainability concepts cannot be made. We take strong exception to this statement. LONGTIME® is the first method for measuring sustainability and it is therefore legitimate to refer to it in our claims. We also note that other organisations, such as AFNOR, use a claim regarding the achievement of sustainability in one of their private labelling schemes.”
Construction of the LONGTIME® reference system:
In 2017, we began research and development work to create the first sustainability benchmark. During these two years of R&D, supported by the expertise of Ecocert Expert Consulting, we have incorporated the collective intelligence of all the stakeholders from the sectors concerned: manufacturers, bodies responsible for inspection, providers of repair services, environmental organisations and those providing support for DIY repairs, and many others.
Over the past two years, a balanced consensus has been reached on a framework comprising objective and non-enforceable criteria.
In 2024, the LONGTIME® standard evolved into a V2 following a process of extensive consultation. The process for participation in the development of the framework is open to everyone by registration, and it is strengthened by the establishment of the CEEL, a committee of experts and ethics comprising independent stakeholders.
We reaffirm our willingness to open the process of participation and continuous improvement of our methodology to all stakeholders.
LONGTIME® label regulations:
The LONGTIME® label is registered as a certification mark with the EUIPO a6> the EUIPO and, as such, a set of Regulations for Use has been filed there.
All companies that are consistent with the perimeter of the label’s activities may apply for the LONGTIME® label. Whatever their size, VSEs, SMEs, ETIs and GEs can access the label in compliance with the process. The registration procedure is simplified and without major administrative constraints other than regulatory constraints and compliance with the label’s prerequisites.
The LONGTIME® label is a “product” and not a “brand” environmental declaration so as not to mislead. The conditions of certification, which cover the entire certification process, are available free of charge on request.
Awarding of the LONGTIME® label:
The LONGTIME® label is based on the methodological standards of the EN 45550 series – specifically EN 45552 and EN 45554 – and on evidence derived from performance indicators in the industrial sector.
The evaluation is based on a methodology derived from quality and system & product certification. It is based on semi-quantitative, quantitative and qualitative data and combines system and product audits.
This methodology structured around the forms of evidence derived from tangible KPIs tangible is ideally suited to the claim made by the label. It provides some relevant information not only on the final product, but also on all the key stages of its life cycle.
The information corroborating the compliance of a candidate with the principles of the LONGTIME® label is examined during an initial audit carried out by a third party control organization.
The bodies responsible for inspection, “Apave Certification” and Laboratoire National de Métrologie et d’Essais (LNE)” have a schedule of inspections which is reserved for them. This checklist brings together all the criteria for the LONGTIME® label. It sets out the various thresholds to be met by the applicants (depending on the group of products under consideration) as well as all the elements and information provided to him enabling him to assess as accurately as possible the quality of the product being audited.
The auditor records on this checklist all the items and all the evidence enabling enabling them to declare compliance with each criterion.
The control grid reserved for control bodies is protected, as is the evidence of compliance provided by the candidates themselves. This information may be considered sensitive or strictly confidential.
The inspection body then decides whether to issue a certificate of conformity or not. The certificate is issued for a maximum period of 3 years.
To put it plainly, Ethikis ad Civis, the co-operative that manages the LONGTIME® label, has absolutely no authority to award the label and leaves a12> leaves solely to the decision of the certification body. Thus, Ethikis is neither judge nor party as is often the case in the world of private labels.
This method of awarding the label enables us to clearly indicate the terms “Independent” and “Product inspected by an organisation independent in accordance with the LONGTIME® standard” directly on the label of the certification mark. Thus, we wish to inform you that our environmental declaration goes goes far beyond a simple self-declaration and that it is based on a completely independent validation.
Developments in the framework and in the sector-specific frameworks:
A certification standard must be regularly reviewed to incorporate the latest regulatory and market developments and to support continuous improvement. Accordingly, the LONGTIME® certification standard and its sector-specific standards are reviewed at least every three years. This review frequency is consistent with the pace of technological innovation in the product categories covered by the certification scheme.
We organise a number of round-table discussions bringing together all the accredited in order to discuss with them the various aspects of the certification scheme and we provide them with surveys in the aim of continuously improving the labelling process of labelling. We want to continue to promote collective intelligence, to draw on the expertise of our partners in the field and to share our knowledge with other stakeholders, and in particular with consumers.
The transition from the V1 framework to the V2 framework necessitates a review of the sector-specific frameworks. Each organisation is invited to provide us with their feedback – by any means, whether in person or remotely, or by email – on issues relating to the label’s core principles, such as the appropriateness of adding or removing certain criteria.
LONGTIME® and Communication:
Reducing the information asymmetry that exists between the consumers and the manufacturers on the the issue of durability is one of the hallmarks of the LONGTIME® label.
In order to maximize the reach of our label, we deploy communication strategies adapted to our structure, including
- press release
- optimisation SEO and search engine optimisation organic
- participation in trade shows, conferences, events related to our theme in France and abroad
- graphic design with ergonomics neural
- Animation of social networks