Credibility of ecolabelling programme ‘under threat’

Date: 01/07/1999

By Renée Cordes
EUROPE'S largest federation of environmental groups is threatening to withdraw its support for an EU-wide award scheme recognising and promoting environmentally responsible companies.

The European Environmental Bureau (EEB), which represents 172 'green' organisations, says it will not participate in the eco-label scheme if EU environment ministers press ahead with plans to give businesses greater say in allocating the labels.

The threat comes at a time when the European Commission is seeking to bolster the programme's profile to compete for consumers' attention with a growing number of national and other schemes.

EU leaders launched the ecolabel scheme in 1992 to encourage manufacturers to produce goods in an environmentally friendly way by, for example, using materials which could be recycled. Companies which apply for the right to use the labels on their products have to comply with strict conditions before being given permission to do so.

Environment ministers last week urged the Commission to set up an EU ecolabelling board made up of representatives chosen by member states as well as interested parties, and called for the scope of the scheme to be extended to service providers as well as retailers. Ministers also agreed that environmental and consumer groups should only be represented by one person each on the board, but did not set any ceiling on the number of industry representatives.

EEB officials claim this would undermine the scheme's credibility and say they will withdraw their support if MEPs do not amend the proposal when they discuss it in the autumn. "It is difficult for us to support the scheme if this arrangement is accepted." said EEB scientific advisor Karola Taschner.