by Ken Frere

Consumers hold the key to reducing damage to the environment. How can we be persuaded to change our choices for the benefit - perhaps even the survival - of generations to come? And what is the role of government and industry in helping, or coercing, us to choose sustainable consumption?

"Changing Consumer Choices" was the apt title of a conference organised by the Green Alliance on 11th November. An audience of over 200 people with environmental concerns heard from a dozen mostly excellent speakers including Ritt Bjerregaard, EU Commissioner for the Environment, and Michael Meacher, UK Minister for the Environment.

I have tried to summarise the wide-ranging programme in the opening paragraph. The key role of consumers (some 370 million in the EU alone) is typified by the fact that at least 50% (some say 75%) of energy is used on our behalf. Our commitment, and our action, is needed to make the major contribution to reducing waste, increasing recycling and achieving sustainable consumption.

Most consumers claim to be ‘eco-friendly’. Not many are, in practice, at least not to the full. Many of us are willing to take the long-term view and go for sustainable consumption but we need information which is clear, persuasive and trustworthy. And we need to be able to select from a range of good options.

Energy conservation, and energy labelling, has been a success, and the Energy Saving Trust has produced persuasive material on which action has been taken by many of us. Perhaps this is because its message has concentrated on the financial as much as the environmental benefits.

Eco-labelling, a voluntary labelling scheme "to help you choose the more environmentally friendly products", has not (yet) been a success. The EU scheme covers only 180 products in 10 product groups. Cat litter is covered, but not cars. Within the UK only 10 products (5 of them paints) have been submitted and labelled. out of the thousands of products on offer.

The eco-label is under review by the EU. Only the UK, with Portugal, Ireland and Greece, uses the EU scheme. Other EU countries have their own schemes. The Minister told the conference that his mind was open to the need for a UK eco-label, to the dismay of the EU Commissioner. A common market with a plethora of national eco-labels did not appeal to her logic.

The "eco-sceptics" (25% of us) may be obdurate. The "can-doers" (19% of us) feel empowered. What about the rest of us who say we are eco-friendly but still don’t know what best to do, or who do things that aren’t effective? Ruth Evans (NCC) took stick for pointing out that most of us are Jekyll/environmentalists and Hyde/consumers. Her main points were that there is not enough choice of ‘green’ products, that environmental claims are often bewildering and/or dubious, that messages from the good guys are not pre-tested on consumers, and that fairness is a factor. Her view that campaigns should concentrate on issues where consumers can make the biggest impact made a lot of sense.

incpen Views on Ecolabelling

The Industry Council for Packaging and the Environment, incpen, while supporting the aims of ecolabelling feel that the European Ecolabelling Scheme is not working, is costing UK consumers a significant amount of money, and perpetuates misinformation about packaging.

They have produced a new Factsheet suggesting alternative ways of providing information and would like the views of other NfCG members. We haven’t space in this issue to print extracts but will include some in the February one. Or you could ask Jane Bickerstaffe [Tel -0171 409 0940] for a copy.

Click arrow for
Contents Table

Click Logo to Return to
Main Magazine Index