Consumer Products and the Environment

All our major objectives for sustainable development are associated in some form or another with the goods and services we buy. Changes in the way we produce, use and dispose of these products could make big reductions in the major environmental impacts.

The Government's aim is to develop more integrated approaches to tackling product impacts right across their life cycle. This involves identifying product sectors with the most significant impacts and finding the best combination of market measures to bring about improvements.

These measures include ways of promoting consumer demand for more sustainable products - such as raising public awareness, and tools to improve green claims and other labelling. They also include ways of stimulating the supply of better performing products, for example, through retailer supply chains or using public sector procurement to give a market lead. Support for research and innovation also plays a part, and the use of regulatory and fiscal instruments where necessary.

Policies towards this approach - known as Integrated Product Policy (IPP) - are being developed by the European Commission. In the UK, the Advisory Committee on Consumer Products and the Environment provides advice to the Government on the development and implementation of policy.

The Department's Market Transformation Programme applies these principles in the electrical and water sectors through a process of engagement, consultation and openness.

More information on these actions and others is available below:

• Advisory Committee on Consumer Products and the Environment (ACCPE) - has been set up to advise the Government on ways of implementing integrated measures for reducing the environmental impacts of products
• Market Transformation Programme (MTP) - seeks to bring forward products, systems and services which do less harm to the environment using less energy, water and other resources

Initiatives about environmental information:

• Ecolabelling - the leading European award for greener products
• Energy Labelling - a consumer leaflet explaining the mandatory EU energy labelling scheme
• Energy Star - a joint European Union and USA initiative to identify and promote energy efficient office equipment
• Green Claims Code - best practice advice to business and consumers on making environmental claims
  • Green Claims: Practical Guidance (397 KB) - designed to complement the Green Claims Code and provide more detailed advice on how to make a good environmental claim
    Detailed sector specific advice is available in these product sectors -
    • Guidance on 'CFC Free' and other environmental claims and statements on Aerosols (82 KB)
    • Guidance on 'Biodegradable' and other environmental claims in the Cleaning Products Sector (84 KB)
    • Guidance on 'no added lead' and other environmental claims and statements in the Decorative Coatings Sector (171 KB)
    • Guidance on environmental claims on Greeting Cards (270 KB)
    • Guidance on environmental claims on growing media (92 KB)

• Guidelines for Government Support for Product Labelling Schemes - prepared by the inter-departmental group on product labelling; covers issues to be taken into account when Government support for new product labelling proposals are being considered (links to an Adobe Acrobat document hosted on the DTI web site)
• Hi I'm green - a consumer information leaflet produced in tandem with the Green Claims Code to provide information on the labels and claims seen on products, and how to spot those that are useful and those that are not
• Integrated Product Policy - links to an EU web site describing latest developments at this level
• A Shopper's Guide to Green Labels - a leaflet explaining the meaning of some of the green labels and logos commonly found on products
• Pitching Green - a forthcoming newsletter for business on green product issues - see www.pitching-green.gov.uk

Archive material

• Consumer Products and the Environment - a consultation paper produced in October 1998 which considers the options for policy in this area. Responses to the Consultation are also available.
• Reducing the Environmental Impact of Consumer Products, Government response to a report from the Select Committee on the Environment, Transport and Regional Affairs

Contacting Defra

If you have any general queries relating to Defra's responsibilities in this field, please e-mail consumer.products@defra.gsi.gov.uk

Other useful links

The Food Standards Agency deal with queries about the nutritional and health aspects of food labelling.

Organic food labelling is supervised by the United Kingdom Register of Organic Food Standards. Further information is available on the Department's Food and Drink pages.

The Department of Trade and Industry is responsible for consumer protection legislation. Both the DTI's Consumer Gateway website and The Trading Standards Institute site Trading Standards Central provide further information, advice and useful links for consumers.

The Energy Saving Trust focuses on delivering energy efficiency for households, small firms and the road transport sector and also runs the Energy Efficiency recommended logo which help direct people to more energy saving products.

The Carbon Trust encourages and promotes the development of low carbon technologies.

The Building Research Establishment's EcoHomes and BREEAM standards provide an environmental rating for new, converted or renovated homes and offices.