Environmental Labelling : Second Report of Session 2008-09 - Report, Together with Formal Minutes, Oral and Written Evidence

In this report, "Environmental Labelling (HC 243)", the Environmental Audit Committee calls for a sector-based universal labelling scheme comparable to those emerging for food products.

The Committee says the Government should be prepared to legislate for such a scheme if necessary.

The Committee found greenwash - the use of insubstantial or meaningless claims to promote a product - to be a growing problem and that the Government has a role in policing 'green' labels.

Commenting on the report, Colin Challen MP, Chairman of the Environmental Information Sub-Committee, said: 'The Government has to act to deal with the problem of greenwash.

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

A robust labelling regime would also change the way many businesses behave and help drive up environmental standards across whole sectors of the economy'. The Committee calls for more resources to be put into environmental labelling, including efforts to raise public awareness.

It also wants more information to be made available on the standards and processes that underpin any label, with the Government setting clear standards and guidelines on the content and presentation of such information.

In addition, the Committee emphasises that the Government should encourage carbon labelling on all products as part of a universal sector-based environmental labelling scheme.