Increase Your Consumer Awareness: New EU Labelling System

Being a smart and well-informed consumer who knows how different products affect the environment is not always easy. There are numerous different labelling systems and interpreting them correctly is quite a chore, as is knowing what difference any individual labelling actually makes in terms of the environment.

: In order to help consumers to reduce their financial outlay as well as their carbon footprint, the European Commission recently introduced a new version of the well-known Energy Efficiency Labelling system. The old A+ labelling system has been replaced by a sliding scale from A to G, which is (hopefully) simpler. This new and stricter scale was introduced as more and more products were getting A’s in the old system, and getting an A is now much more difficult. The new scale has more scope for product development making products gradually more environmentally friendly. Additionally, the labelling will include a QR code which will link to a database with more product information. Also, the new labels have been designed to look more modern and be easier to read. The product groups that will be labelled according to the new system are refrigerators, freezers, dishwashers, washing machines, televisions and luminaries.

In 2021, new European eco-design rules will also be introduced. These include tougher demands for product repairability and recyclability, and require producers to supply spare parts for a certain number of years after a product has been discontinued – to professional repairers and amateur DIY ers alike.

How this will affect the increasingly knowledgeable, choosy and environmentally aware consumers in Europe remains to be seen – as does the ultimate long-term effect on the environment.

Read more about the new labelling here:

https://ec.europa.eu/info/energy-climate-change-environment/standards-tools-and-labels/products-labelling-rules-and-requirements/energy-label-and-ecodesign_en 

Published 2021-05-21