Boom in Swan-labelled wood-burning stoves

The Danish Technological Institute experienced a marked increase in 2007 in the number of Danish manufacturers and importers of wood-burning stoves to have their products tested in order to earn the Swan ecolabel.

All the large manufacturers, who together have a total of over 140 Swan-labelled wood-burning stoves, have joined this special labelling scheme. This is to the benefit of the environment – for the Institute’s different laboratory tests show that the Swan-labelled stoves burn even more cleanly than the wood-burning stove directive from the Danish Environmental Protection Agency requires.

Several of the stoves tested have a particle emission rate which is only 50-75% of the allowed limit. With this limit being a maximum of only a few grams of harmful particles per kilo of wood a Swan-labelled stove is more than twice as good as a stove which ‘only’ meets the requirements laid down by the wood-burning stove directive.

This directive has been agreed and the requirements come into force from June 1st 2008. The goal is to reduce the amount of harmful particle pollution produced by the 600,000 wood-burning stoves there are in Danish homes. The legislation covers the sale of new stoves as well as old second-hand stoves, which also have to go through a laboratory test to certify that they comply with the particle requirements.

Danes do themselves, their neighbours and the environment a big favour when they replace their old wood-burning stoves with one sporting the Nordic Swan ecolabel because these burn fuel much more cleanly and efficiently.