The House Consumer Protection Subcommittee of Energy and Commerce heard testimony this week from several experts involved in green standards. They were united in their belief that the system for green labels needs to be improved for more beneficial impact on innovation, producers and customers. The main problem is determining a base line or common definition for green products.
There was great debate on what should be considered eco-friendly or green. The consensus was the products need to be examined over their entire life cycle in order to accurately determine their effect on the environment. Currently there are over 300 different green stamps and that confusion allows producers to take advantage of the increased market benefits of the green label with out providing any information or proof to consumers. Green guides were established in 1992 and were updated in 1998, but have not changed sense then.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is working on a new more comprehensive version of the green guides, which all participants felt would help make it easier for everyone involved in the process. Transparency and more information will help consumers avoid buying products that are misleading or contain false information. The role that government should play was discussed with differing opinions on how involved it should be in the process.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment