There are hundreds of eco-certification labels that exist, and it can be hugely overwhelming to sort out which really matter. Here we provide examples of this complexity and resources available to consumers to make better decisions.

1. What does that
label mean?
How ecolabels inform where our food comes from

2. What is an Ecolabel?
• Eco-labels and Green Stickers are labeling systems
for food and consumer products.
• Ecolabels are voluntary, but green stickers are
mandated by law
• They are a form of sustainability measurement
directed at consumers (you), intended to make it
easy to take environmental concerns into account
when shopping.
November 10, 20152 Credit: Wikipedia

3. So what does any of
that really mean?
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Let’s see how much we know.

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8. There are a lot of labels.
Does this ‘make it easy to take
environmental concerns into
account when shopping’?
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9. Spoilers: It doesn’t.
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Why are mangroves important?
• Sequester up to 5x as much carbon as terrestrial counterparts
• 70-80% of commercially important tropical marine fish spend
their juvenile lives in mangroves
• Mitigate storm surge damage
• Biofilters
• Unique habitat home to hundreds of species
• Provide fuel, food, and fiber to mangrove communities
• Feed and provide income to over 600 million people

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Shrimp is the most popular seafood in the
United States
Almost 4lbs a year

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Shrimp farming is the #1 cause of
mangrove deforestation
A 1 pound bag of frozen shrimp has a land use carbon
footprint equivalent to as much as 1 ton of CO2
Shrimp are raised using antibiotics and a variety of
other toxic chemicals, some identified as
carcinogenic
Ponds burn out after 2-10 years
Mangrove communities lose livelihoods

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Question
Your Shrimp

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Certification systems like the ASC are trying to
address these and other problems, but what you
see on paper isn’t necessarily what is happening
on the ground.
It’s a good first step, but we need to keep
demanding better standards and better
accountability if we want these labels to mean
making real change with our purchasing
decisions.

16. What can you do?
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Ask questions.

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• What product or service does the claim cover?
• What type of claim is being made?
• What sustainability attributes does the claim
cover?
• How is the claim verified?
Credit: ISEAL Alliance

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“There are five universal truths to sustainability
claims
Credible sustainability claims are:
• clear
• accurate
• relevant,
and are backed up by systems that are:
• transparent, and
• robust.”
Credit: ISEAL Alliance

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