Many products not as “green” as label states

The House of Commons Environment Audit Committee says the government should impose stricter standards on labelling because the manufacturers often overstate the environmental properties of their products.

The MPs said that a general system is needed, with autonomous checks, because the multiplicity of labels was perplexing to consumers.

The Committee says that carbon data on labels is essential and will become more important as consumers’ perception and understanding of embedded carbon increases.

The Committee urges the Government to promote carbon labelling for every item and service rapidly, and as part of a full, comprehensive environmental labelling rule.

The labels chould be similar to those now gradually being found on food labels, which include a host of information easily and quickly understood.

The committee recommends several changes including; legally requiring a new labelling method by law with independent scrutiny; empowering the Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) and trading standards officials to take steps against companies giving incorrect and confusing information; and requiring vehicle distributors to show performance data required by the EU.

The Labour chairman of the committee, Colin Challen, said the government must ensure that clear labels are used so consumers make educated decisions but this has to be supported by external checks to give consumers confidence in the labels.

Cullen said the system must be adaptable because the environmental decisions a person makes buying soap are not the same as those they make when buying an SUV.

A successful labelling system will also alert the market to the need to alter business methods throughout the process of making a product available for sale.

This must be achieved in order to take the carbon out of the British economy, he added.

The ASA has reprimanded various major, well-known companies, for some years, for making ambiguous claims about the environmental properties of their products.

A complaint against Shell was endorsed by the ASA, concerning a newspaper advert showing flowers coming out of its refinery vents.

The Friends of the Earth made the complaint about the advert, which said, “Don’t throw anything anyway. There is no away”.

The ASA 2008 annual report said statements that services and products were carbon free could often be contested together with claims that items were totally self sustaining or recycled.