Christian Verschueren, director-general of EuroCommerce, a group that represents European retailers, has reacted positively to the simplification of energy labelling rules, recently agreed by the European Parliament and Council. However, he warned that inconsistent or too rigid application of the rules could cause confusion and uncertainty.
“The intention of the new energy labelling rules to make energy labels more understandable for consumers is welcome [...] However, with a dynamic re-scaling, the new rules will introduce uncertainty and potential cost for our sector." Verschueren said.
"For example, if the regulation is enforced in a rigid way and new labels are not available in time to reflect the revised scale, it would result in unnecessary burdens or even sanctions for retailers [...] The rules must be imposed consistently but with some flexibility.” Verschueren explained.
The European Parliament and the Council agreed on Tuesday on a regulation setting a framework for energy efficiency labelling.
Simplification Of Labelling System
The current A+++ to G labels for products will be simplified. The new scale will be revised regularly to reflect changes in technology and energy efficiency.
Retailers and wholesalers will need to update labels regularly to ensure that they take account of such changes.
The new labels will appear on products at the earliest end 2019.
© 2017 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Gavin Ryan. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine
