The energy certificate is a document containing information on the energy efficiency of a building, i.e. it refers to the amount of energy consumed for heating, lighting and producing domestic hot water in a building.

The energy performance certificate includes two important indicators: the energy class, A to G (class A being the most energy efficient) and the energy score (1 to 100, with rating 100 being the best). The certificates are issued by energy auditors authorised by the Ministry of Public Works, Development and Administration.

Energy labels are mandatory for all household appliances marketed in the EU for which there is a labelling requirement or rule. They show where appliances are positioned on a scale from A to G depending on their energy consumption. Class A is the most energy efficient, while class G is the least energy efficient. As most appliances fall into class A, three further classes have been introduced: A+, A++ and A+++.

The European Ecolabel is a voluntary scheme, set up in 1992 to encourage companies to produce or buy eco-friendly products and services. Products and services that have been awarded the Ecolabel bear the known European flower logo allowing consumers – including public and private buyers – to easily identify eco-products.

Regardless of the product/service group, environmental requirements relate to air quality, water quality, soil protection, reduction in waste generated, energy saving, management of natural resources, prevention of global warming, protection of the ozone layer, environmental security, noise and biodiversity.

The national policy on recycling and waste management is closely in line with the European Union’s approach, which is based on waste prevention, recycling, reuse and improvement of the final disposal of waste.

Waste prevention is an extremely important factor in waste management and is closely linked to improving production methods, as well as inducing consumers to change their demand for products and lead a healthy lifestyle that generates smaller amounts of waste.

Recycling and reuse aim at a high level of recovery of component materials, having identified a number of waste streams for which material recycling is a priority: packaging waste, end-of-life vehicles, waste batteries, waste electrical and electronic equipment.

Final disposal of waste, where waste cannot be recovered, must be carried out in safe conditions for the environment and human health, under a strict monitoring programme.

In Romania, at village, city and municipality level, the necessary areas for the separate collection of waste are provided, with specific containers for each type of waste; centres are available for the general population and for companies, where paper, cardboard, glass, metal, plastics, wood, textiles, packaging waste, waste electrical and electronic equipment, waste batteries and accumulators can be discarded free of charge.

The institutions responsible for recycling and waste management are developing tools to encourage citizens and businesses to collect selectively and recycle.