The Times has reported on a survey that it has carried out which indicates that eighty per cent of consumers state that they are not given enough environmental information to make informed choices about electrical products. Which isn’t really news to us when it comes to domestic appliances.
The latest in a monthly series of surveys for The Times by Populus, charting consumers’ social and environmental attitudes, finds that while many want to make ethical choices, they are frustrated by a lack of information.
The Times’ findings follow calls from across the political spectrum to make consumer electricals more environmentally friendly. Despite proposed measures like the banning of standby buttons and forcing manufacturers to print carbon footprints on their packaging, the survey shows that an information gap is driving a wedge between consumers’ intentions and their actions.
It goes on to say that electrical goods are on the frontline in the battle against carbon emissions, according to campaigners. While it is estimated that household appliances become on average 2 per cent more energy efficient every year, the fall has been more than offset by the soaring number of electrical items in homes.
We would also suggest that the replacement cycle is being ignored and has been for sometime now within the appliance industry, something that we have tried to address with the introduction of ISE Appliances
The Energy Saving Trust says that the average number of electrical goods in British households has risen from 17 in the 1970s to 42 today. Appliances on standby comprise 8 per cent of Britain’s domestic consumption of electricity. A ban on standby buttons is already being discussed in parliament to address this issue, seemingly with cross party support.
The survey would suggest that the difference between the information that consumers would like and the data that they are given is symptomatic of a communication breakdown.
“When asked what they would most like electrical goods companies to focus on, respondents said ensuring that all components of their products are recycled at the end of their life. The European waste electronic and electrical equipment directive obliges the industry to deal with waste and recycling.”
However, in practice, the WEEE Directive is riddled with flaws, doesn’t appear to really address the issues very well and there are a LOT of producers and retailers that simply have taken no notice of it whatsoever. It has been widely reported that an estimated 4500 producers selling goods in the UK have yet to register. The number of retailers is unknown but we’d expect it to be higher than that number, much higher.
The Times reports that, “The vast majority (97 per cent) of concerned consumers also want information on how much power a product uses. Almost the same number (96 per cent) want to see information on recycling.”
The results seem to show that people want to “do their bit” but also demand that companies make a contribution. The lack information faced by consumers hoping to make an ethical choice of electrical goods is reflected in their assessment of how effectively leading companies are addressing social and environmental issues. Then, on top of that, there’s the misinformation from marketing which lulls people into a false sense of security, it is very confusing.