Plastic

Where necessary, bol takes the lead on legislation when it is known that a product in production or use is harmful to the health or safety of customers. Within the EU, there is a ban on the sale of single-use plastic, also known as disposable plastic items. Therefore, items such as disposable plastic cups, straws, and cotton swabs are undesirable on the platform. Bio plastics such as biodegradable plastic, PLA, and starch plastics are also not allowed. On this page of the European Commission, you can see exactly which specific items are undesirable.

In addition, as a platform, we want to take responsibility and contribute to combating plastic litter. That’s why on October 9, 2022, we signed the Spatplastic Covenant. This means that water balloons and plastic confetti are also undesirable on the platform.

This policy also includes, among other things:

• Gift packages containing water balloons or plastic confetti
• (Table) confetti or streamers with a foil layer
• Balloons with plastic confetti inside

Fairtrade

Fairtrade is an unprotected term used to designate items that:

• Are produced under good working conditions.
• Are locally sustainable.
• Have fair trade agreements with farmers and workers.

Bol.com seeks to uphold this definition by promoting items as ‘Fairtrade’ only if they have a certification from Max Havelaar, Cotton Made in Africa, or Fair for Life (clothing).

If you offer an item that is eligible for one of these certifications, you can provide this information via this link.

For items labeled as Fairtrade that do not have certification from one of these organizations, bol.com removes this claim from the product information.

The European Organic Certification (Skal)

To ensure that our shared customers receive verified organic items and that we comply with regulations regarding organic products, we have established additional guidelines for the use of the Skal certification.

What is Skal, and what does it mean for the sale of organic items?

Skal is an independent administrative authority that oversees the controlled and registered production, processing, and trading of organic items.

Within the product categories of food, dietary supplements, animal feed, plants, and flower bulbs, the term “organic” is a protected term. It can only be used for controlled items identifiable by the European Organic Certification, also known as the green leaf. Any company offering these products to our customers through our platform must register. Bol.com is only allowed to offer and trade demonstrably certified organic items. This means both the intermediary and the producer must be certified.

For this certification, items must comply with:

• The EU Organic Regulation
• The Dutch Agricultural Quality Legislation
• The regulations and principles of SKAL Bio control.

What are the additional conditions for selling on our platform?

• Ensure that your company is Skal certified to trade in organic items.
• Ensure that your storage of the items complies with SKAL storage requirements.
• Apply here for the sustainability label ‘European Organic Certification’ so that your organic assortment is well-labeled on our website.
• The SKAL code NL-BIO-01 must be visible on the invoice to customers. To include the Skal code on the invoice, it’s important that the Skal code (NL-BIO-01) is placed in the title of the organic product. By putting the code in the title, the code will automatically appear on the invoice to the customer. We recommend placing the code at the end of the title.