Call for controls on 'green' labels.

A CLEAR system of environmental labelling is needed to stop companies making meaningless claims about how green their products are, a group of MPs said today.

The Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) is calling on ministers to bring in a labelling scheme to fight the growing problem of "greenwash".

It says a traffic light or petal system, similar to those used in the food industry, would make it easier for customers to make product choices based on eco-friendly considerations.

The MPs believe this would have a knock-on effect on businesses and encourage whole sectors of the economy to become more environmentally friendly.

And they called for a recognised system, with information backed up by third-party monitoring, to help fight a confusing range of different labels.

Colin Challen, EAC member and Labour chairman of the environmental information sub-committee, said: "The government has to act to deal with the problem of greenwash.

"Clear labels are needed to help consumers make informed choices, but for consumers to have confidence in them, environmental labels must be backed up by independent monitoring.

"The proliferation of labels means we urgently need a universal scheme to help consumers discriminate between products on the basis of environmental factors.

"A robust labelling regime would also change the way many businesses behave and help drive up environmental standards across whole sectors of the economy."

The EAC said there was a growing problem of the use of "insubstantial or meaningless environmental claims" to promote items.