Home > Press releases > 1998
17 Feb 1998
Today's Government code of conduct says that claims will have to be accurate, capable of being substantiated by hard evidence, relevant to the product in question and used in an appropriate context. Terms such as “environmentally friendly” should not be used.
Mike Childs, consumer campaigner at Friends of the Earth, said:
“A voluntary approach to green cons is not good enough. Companies
who deliberately mislead the public about a products environmental performance
should face prosecution by the courts not a rap over the knuckles from
a toothless tiger. The public and the environment deserve better.
Friends of the Earth is also calling on the Government to force companies
to:
provide information on the 'cradle to grave' impact that a product has on the environment as a whole, not just the impact it has on one area.
provide information about the full environmental impact of all
products, not just the few niche 'green products' that a company
produces.
A voluntary EU green labelling scheme, that assesses the 'cradle to
grave' impact of a product, already exists. The label takes into account
the environmental impact of a product throughout its life cycle. This
includes the extraction of raw materials, energy used to make it, its
energy efficiency when in use, and its disposal (is it re-useable or
recycled, or is it simply thrown away). Only fourteen products from
5 product groups carry the EU label. A number of other product categories
have been assessed, with many more in the pipeline.
Mike Childs continued:
“Consumers should be given clear, accurate and comprehensive
environmental information about all the products they buy. This will
enable shoppers to make informed choices about the items they buy, helping
them to become greener consumers”.
Contact details:
Friends of the Earth
26-28 Underwood St.
LONDON
N1 7JQ
Tel: 020 7490 1555
Fax: 020 7490 0881
Web: www.foe.co.uk/feedback.html
Media team
