Inadequate EC Ecolabelling and environmental auditing

The Body Shop is taking a public stance against the EC Ecolabelling scheme which is due to be launched in June '93. The Body Shop's objections are not against the regulation as originally drafted by the EC. It could have been a useful step forward in reducing consumer confusion and increasing possibilities for informed choices about the environmental credentials of consumer products. Unfortunately the way the scheme is being implemented in the UK may lead to the exclusion of issues such as biodiversity, preserving non-renewable resources, human rights, animal rights and even the precautionary principle (for example on toxic releases during production).

As far as the Body Shop is concerned, all of these issues are ecological and should be taken into account during life cycle assessments of consumer products (and consequently criteria for ecolabels).

We are also outraged that environmental auditing is not yet compulsory in business. The original EC proposal which would have been mandatory for certain industries was weakened following pressure from European industrialists. Now it is optional even for the chemicals industry. And there is no direct pressure for companies to adopt the British Standards Institution scheme. Participation is entirely voluntary.

Unless all organisations adopt standard procedures it's hard for ordinary people to compare the environmental performance of different organisations. Because of this many companies will continue making excessive claims while finding any number of reasons why they should not publish an annual independently verified environmental audit.

David Wheeler, General Manager, Environment, Health & Safety, The Body Shop, Watersmead, Littlehamton, West Sussex BN17 6LS (tel 0903 731500; fax 0903 726250).