Ecolabelling

898.  We recommend government pursues ecolabelling to help consumers make more informed purchasing decisions. Some ecolabels already exist, however there is low take-up of these by businesses and low awareness of them amongst consumers. A lack of confidence about whether green claims made on products are authentic is also denting consumers' confidence: the Review heard that "labelling needs to be standardised."623 Government has committed to exploring standardised ecolabelling for industrial products (e.g. glass, paper, chemicals) and should aim to roll this out for as many products as possible from 2025. Ecolabelling should be aligned across different products, to make it easy for consumers to recognise sustainable items. On food, government should continue to work with industry, via the Food Data Transparency Partnership, to develop a mandatory methodology that could be used for ecolabelling. This should prioritise setting a metric to monitor carbon impact. Government should continue to work with industry to ensure that the methodology is used to provide clear information to consumers. Government should consider how other sectors could also benefit from standardised ecolabelling.

899.  Using labels to provide information about how consumers can look after their purchases can help to maximise their lifespan and ensure cost-effectiveness. The Review has heard that "we need clear recycling labels. People don't know what to do with their recycling at the moment."624 Thinking on ecolabelling for non-food products should consider what information consumers need in order to look after, repair and dispose of products sustainably.

900.  Information and advice relating to energy efficiency is considered in section 5.3.