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Proposal to outlaw energy-efficiency and eco- labelling

Regrettable Juvenilia

14:43 / 21.10.05

Hey folks! It's ANGER time again!

Link to Friends of the Earth press release.

Consumers may lose the chance to be eco-friendly, if plans to ban energy efficiency labels on appliances such as washing machines, fridges and irons are successful, warns Friends of the Earth as `Energy Saving Week' approaches (24-28 October 2005). A proposal to outlaw energy efficiency labelling is up for discussion at the World Trade Organisation (WTO)'s ongoing negotiations. More than 200 similar `free trade' measures have been put forward and if successful, could deny consumers' access to `green' information on a huge range of products.

Countries including Korea, the United States and China are claiming that eco-labelling damages their competitiveness and acts as a barrier to trade.

Other things they'd like to ban include labels which show whether a product is recyclable or made from recycled materials. Basically anything which helps you make an informed choice to buy more sustainably.

Friends of the Earth wants the Prime Minister Tony Blair to use his influence with EU Commissioner for Trade, Peter Mandelson, to ensure the EU opposes these WTO challenges.

Good luck with that.

Thoughts? I mean, I know consuming eco-friendly/less eco-harmful products isn't going to save us on its own, but this really beggars belief. It's worth noting that not only do energy-efficienct appliances have an enviromental benefit, they also have a economic benefit for the people who use them. Which is another reason why these "countries" (which we take to mean big business, right?) don't want people to have access to them - it's much better for them to be able to present people with an enormous gas/electricity bill than to let people monitor their own use of energy, obviously...

15:21 / 21.10.05

not much faith in tony labours to sort this really - i think the last time this issue arose his line was that asking/encouraging people to buy eneregy-efficient fridges and cars next time they change-over was a no-go because it constituted 'unacceptable infringements on everyday lifestyles' or something along those lines.

does anyone believe in the real-world existence of evil?

15:24 / 21.10.05

AAAARRGGHH

I was angry already and now I am FURIOUS.

I don't have anything much more useful to add, but will try and get something together. Who can we write to? Can't see Gorgeous George being a great deal of help on this one.

19:08 / 21.10.05

No, GW won't be much help. He and his administration and their ilk have been trying the same thing (unsuccessfully, thank jebus) with GMO labeling. How exactly does this limit choice? Wait! My ability to chose to drink lead-tainted water is being infringed by water safety laws!

01:08 / 22.10.05

(Gorgeous George? Ewwww. Man looks like a minkey.)

Anyway, let's stay on topic here. As everyone says: outrageous. And non-labelling of GM food is a reality here in the US. It worked, too. Most people would never have bought GM food, but they didn't know that's what they were buying, and now the whole business is as big as a metastatic cancer.

(As a scientist, I have to add that what's wrong with GM food is not the genetic modification itself, but that it allows the food to be grown under appalling conditions, so it is of lower nutritional value. There is also something obscene about how the majority of plant genetic modifications involve making crops resist Round-Up herbicide. The farmer pays extra (to Monsanto) for the special GM seed so s/he can have high-producing weed-free fields by buying more Round-Up (from Monsanto). Cool, huh?)

08:46 / 22.10.05

I don´t see, how that will happen.

There is a big demand for these products. And companies will always find a way to meet that demand.

For example, my washing machine and refridgerator are energy efficient. Because of that, they have a higher price than the chinese machines, who soak up more electricity. If those companies can´t say: "Hey, our fridge need less electricity", they can´t justify the higher price. So they will find a way to let the customer know.

And if this proposal ever becomes the law, I´ll make sure, never to buy appliances from the responsible countries.

09:00 / 22.10.05

I feel sick. Nothing more to add.

Regrettable Juvenilia

13:40 / 22.10.05

(For the Americans: 'Gorgeous George' = nickname of George Galloway MP, fiercely anti-US/UK imperialism but not known for caring about the environment - although he may do, who knows.)

01:10 / 23.10.05

(Whew. I'm much relieved. Thanks for the clarification!)

05:33 / 23.10.05

(see, I, as a North American, read that as Curious George, which is to say... well, I'm sure you can guess.)

09:13 / 24.10.05

I expcet the information would still be available somewhere - you'd just have to work harder to find it. It seems so absurd to me. All this labelling business (ditto with the GM food labels) seems intended to remove access to information at the point of purchase (i.e. where most purchasing decisions are made, especially in supermarkets). It seems designed purely to deny consumers ready access to important information about the items they purchase, use and eat. I am still really infuriated about this and will have a look at the ethical consumer websites at lunch to see if they have any plans for action...

13:07 / 24.10.05

"damages their competitiveness and acts as a barrier to trade"

"Listen, pal, it's survival of the fittest... Hey, no fair, they're fitter than me! Waaah!"

Presumably they'll make actual price labels illegal now as well, since it gives cheaper products an unfair advantage? Gah!

13:35 / 24.10.05

well quite - it seems Eco-Fridges Corp. or somesuch would basically be banned from advertising what might be their product's key selling point. obviously logic and just pure not-being-hopelessly-corrupt make this a far easier case to prove in terms of the 'free'dom of their enterprise. it's just, that might not be enough.

13:47 / 24.10.05

I've written to my MP - for all the good it will do. Anyone else got any ideas how we can fight this?

14:36 / 24.10.05

Hang on, are they seeking to ban the right to label a product as energy efficient, or are they seeking to ban the requirement to declare a product's energy efficiency?

I can just about see how they might argue for the latter (wrong-headed as it is), but if it is that then presumably it doesn't prevent anyone from slapping a label on saying "I am an energy efficient product."

Hmm, it won't have as much clout though, will it, because forced declaration suggests someone is actually regulating it and ensuring truthfull declaration. If that is removed then you only have the producer's word for it. Bah!

19:08 / 24.10.05

Presumably they'll make actual price labels illegal now as well, since it gives cheaper products an unfair advantage? Gah!

It seems designed purely to deny consumers ready access to important information about the items they purchase, use and eat.

That´s exactly what´s happening. There was an article today about german banks in the local newspapers:

The banks advertise credits with 5% interest (posters with big 5% in their windows). But if you look at the small print, it´s 14 - 40%.

And if a customer starts comparing conditions before choosing a credit, he is judged as a risky customer and gets a higher interest rate.