Energy saving technology has outrun The European Union’s label, leaving too many products on top of the scale, making it hard for consumers to decide what’s best for the environment, as well as their electricity and water bill. New stricter labelling will boost development.
Today’s EU energy labelling, introduced in 2010, is said to stall the development of new energy saving technology, being too easy to fulfill. A new updated scale with greater differences between levels will make it harder for producers to reach the top, and hence boost green tech development in the electronics industry.
- Products have clearly become more energy efficient and blown the old scale. The new labelling will make it tougher for producers to fulfill environmental requirements and also easier for consumers to choose what’s best for them and the planet, says Andreas Westgaard, Chief Commercial Officer in Elkjøp Nordic.
So what’s new?
The new labeling consist of a scale solely based on letters from A-G, ruling out the plus signs (A+++/A+) used today. QR code linking to more product specifications, a new letter scale for noise, as well as an improved and simplified design are other features.
How will this make products more environmentally friendly?
The demands for each level are stricter and when introduced none of today’s products will be on top. In fact, the best products will land in the middle of the new scale. This leaves more room for improvement and will trigger change compared to the current labeling, where most products already are on top, making the incentive for further development smaller. To outlast new technology the coming years, the new labelling is stricter and even advancing one level up will require major product improvements.
Expects more labels
Greater differences between the levels, new features and design will altogether make it easier for consumers to compare products. This is more than welcome from Elkjøp's side, who also see more labels connected to sustainability in the future.
- In Elkjøp we are positive to everything that makes it easier for our customers to choose more sustainable. The new scale will show the actual differences between products, and we welcome an energy label that is in line with product development as well as consumers’ increasing demands to sustainability. We expect further green EU labels to come, for instance on how repairable a product is, says Camilla Gramstad, Head of Sustainability in Elkjøp Nordic
Please see our home page for more details on the new energy label and how we work with sustainability in Elkjøp:
https://www.elkjop.no/cms/ny-energimerking/ny-energimerking/