Memorandum submitted by The National Consumer
Council (NCC)
Sustainability and consumer protection are two
of NCC's key objectives. In the past, NCC has worked with Government
on the issue of regulating green claims and last year we published
jointly with the Sustainable Development Commission (SDC) the
Sustainable Consumption Roundtable report entitled I Will if You
Will.
NCC is currently following up a number of the
recommendations made in this report. Our research has shown that
many consumers are willing to lead their lives in a more sustainable
manner. Some are even prepared to pay a premium for goods and
services in order to do this. However, it is difficult for them
to make complex decisions involving the weighing up of detailed
scientific information. For this reason, consumers are particularly
susceptible to "greenwash" on the part of providers
of goods and services. It is therefore particularly important
that information provided to consumers is honest, truthful, transparent
and verifiable.
These principles extend to the growing market
in carbon offsets. Consumers are not in a position to verify the
carbon reductions an individual project produces. This is even
more difficult if the project is situated overseas. Therefore
they are dependent on reliable information if they are to purchase
offsets themselves. As well as information on the reliability
of any projects used to offset carbon emissions, it is also important
that consumers should have information about their total carbon
footprint and ways in which they can reduce this. Offsetting should
only be seen as a last resort.
Even if it is mainly commercial companies that
are purchasing large quantities of carbon offsets at present,
they are doing this as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility
activity which in turn will feed through to the claims they make
for the commercial offerings they make to domestic consumers.
Therefore the whole market is relevant to consumers.
Consumers require transparent information about
how many carbon emissions are being offset, and the value that
is being placed on each of these. Consumers also require transparent
information on any charges or commissions that are being made
as part of the offset. As a guarantee that the emissions reductions
are robust and not being counted twice, consumers require them
to be backed by certificates.
For these reasons, NCC will be responding to
the consultation process recently launched by Defra. During the
next weeks we will therefore be developing our views further on
the important questions you are posing in your Inquiry.
January 2007
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