It has been aimed to develop the National Environmental Label Criteria within the scope of sustainability-oriented evaluation of the socio-economic, environmental and technical aspects of high value-added products in the personal care and cosmetics sector to increase the global competitiveness of the country via Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) which was used as a decision-making mechanism. In this direction, the project named "Criteria Development Project for Personal Care and Cosmetic Product Groups" was conducted, under the coordinatorship of Prof. Dr. Nilgün Kıran Cılız, in the context of the protocol signed between the Turkish Ministry of Environment and Urbanization, General Directorate of EIA, Permit & Inspection and Boğaziçi University, Sustainable Development and Cleaner Production Center (BU-SDCPC) on 29.06.2020.

The opening meeting of the project was held online on 10th September 2020. It was aimed to progress towards the development of the Turkish Environmental Label System with this meeting, in which representatives from the private sector, public institutions, organizations and non-governmental organizations participated. In another online meeting held on 29-30 September 2020 within the context of the project, Prof. Dr. Nilgün Kıran Cılız made an educative presentation on the importance of Life Cycle Assessment and Environmental Label with respect to Sustainable Development Goals, especially SDG12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), and Circular Economy. Furthermore, a survey study was conducted to cover the issues in almost every stage ranging from production to waste management with the participation of sectoral representatives, to be able to comprehend the view on the fundamental issues such as sustainable production and consumption of personal care and cosmetic products in Turkey, YDD methodology for the evaluation of product ingredients in terms of the environmental label, environmental label application, and the current state of environmental sustainability, simultaneously with the Environmental Label training presentation. In addition, the field trip to a pilot factory planned to be carried out was realized online due to the Covid-19 pandemic conditions.

Within the scope of the project, the Environmental Label criteria for the personal care and cosmetic product group were determined (especially focusing on solid soap, liquid soap, shampoo, hair conditioner, shower gel, hand and body cream, shaving soap and shaving foam) in line with ISO 14024: Type 1 Environmental Labeling and ISO 14040/44: Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) standards, and an application guide was prepared in accordance with these criteria. The respective documents were published pursuant to the Ministry's approval (dated 09.09.2021 and numbered 1613368) and can be accessed via the official website of the Turkish Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change. The article, which is one of the outputs of the project, has been prepared separately in Turkish and English, and both articles are currently in press.

https://cevreetiketi.csb.gov.tr/en/criteria-development-project-for-personal-care-and-cosmetic-product-groups-i-100387