The Brazilian Green Seal Program (“Programa Selo Verde”): certification of sustentainable products and services

In brief

Decree no. 12.063, of 17 June 2024 instituted the Brazilian Green Seal Program (“Programa Selo Verde”), which aims to draft national guidelines for the standardization and certification of products and services that meet sustainability requirements.

The measure, included in the sustainability agenda, may contribute to reducing costs in the production process and reducing or even eliminating multiple certifications. Thus, certified products and services will benefit from greater competitiveness and access to international markets.

In more detail

The Ministry of Development, Industry, Trade and Services (MDIC) published the Decree No. 12.063, of 17 June 2024, which establishes the Brazilian Green Seal Program (“Programa Selo Verde Brasil”), a national strategy for the standardization and certification of Brazilian products and services that meet sustainable requirements.

The program aims to standardize and certify products and services in the primary, secondary or tertiary sectors that are proven to meet predefined socio-environmental sustainability requirements. This certification will be voluntary and carried out by a third party.

The Brazilian Green Seal certification will be voluntary and applicable to products that meet the sustainability requirements that will be defined in due course. The criteria shall promote the quality and competitiveness of Brazilian products and services, increasing market access for Brazilian products on the international market, contributing to strengthening the process of sustainable public procurement in the country, as well as sustainable development and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.

The program will reduce the multiplicity of environmental requirements on Brazilian products by unifying the various Brazilian environmental labelling initiatives established by government and private entities, which means reduction of bureaucracy and extra costs, especially for exporters. The program aims for the promotion of national and international regulatory harmonization, in addition to regulatory cooperation and mutual recognition of conformity assessment procedures with similar initiatives abroad, to facilitate the acceptance of the Brazilian Green Seal in foreign markets, reducing non-tariff barriers.

The Brazilian Association of Technical Standards (“ABNT”, in the Portuguese acronym) may create specific technical standards by sector, product or service. The participation of the private sector and interested parties will be ensured in the establishment of these standards. The certification will be granted by accredited conformity assessment bodies accredited by the Brazilian National Institute of Metrology, Quality and Technology (INMETRO).

This measure was the subject of a public consultation, held between October and December 2023, and received 306 contributions.