Clear eco-friendly labelling urged - 23/03/09

A group of MPs has called for a clear system of environmental labelling to stop companies making misleading claims about how eco-friendly their products are.

Ministers are being urged by the Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) to introduce such a system to make it easier for customers to select products based on eco-friendly considerations.

A traffic light or petal system, similar to those used in the food industry, would help fight a confusing range of different labels, the committee said.

EAC member Colin Challen said: "Clear labels are needed to help consumers make informed choices, but for consumers to have confidence in them, environmental labels must be backed up by independent monitoring that is fully verified.

"The proliferation of labels means we urgently need a universal scheme to help consumers discriminate between products on the basis of environmental factors."

The committee said that it also wants to see the labels include information on how much "embedded carbon" is included in a product, in order to help meet the Government's target of cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 80% of 1990 levels by 2050.

Mr Challen added: "Given the challenge we face in decarbonising the economy, the committee believes carbon labelling may prove the single most important environmental measure in promoting behavioural change."

Clear eco-friendly labelling urged - 23/03/09

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