Defra MTP Compliance Strategy

1.  Vision

Defra MTP's strategy sits within the context of forthcoming European legislation (Implementing Measures under the Energy-using Products Framework Directive 2005/32/EC and revision of EU mandatory Energy Labelling) and the Government’s aim to improve the average energy efficiency of domestic appliances and reduce the associated carbon emissions. Enforcement and compliance are essential components to deliver the desired energy savings but also create a level playing field for industry.

At present the rate of non-compliance in the UK is estimated to be around 10 to 15% at manufacturing level (failure to meet the claim on the label) and 20% at retail level (absent or incorrect labelling)[1]. Other EU Member States report similar figures. Poor enforcement as well as risk of further deterioration currently represents a European reality.

2.  Objective

Our objective is to achieve better compliance rates, tying together all strands of market surveillance work and increasing detection of misleading claims, while placing greater emphasis on the testing of appliances and consequential exposure of test results.

This compliance strategy is designed to coordinate actions at national level between the enforcement bodies and other identified partners. This initiative is intended to be Defra led in collaboration with other Member States, the European Commission and other European stakeholders such as trade associations and trading standards equivalent organisations.

3.  Priorities

Communication on compliance will be effectively managed via this MTP website to ensure greater publicity of test procedures and any changes to the compliance regime. The Briefing Note BNXS23 currently details the procedure for Defra’s monitoring of product performance data provided by suppliers under UK regulations, industry schemes or other self-declared claims, and describes how the resulting data shall be published or otherwise issued.

As part of its activities underpinning its modelling and evidence base, Defra MTP will continue to carry out testing of certain priority energy using appliances, thus ensuring the dissemination of up-to-date UK market data.

Defra recently appointed the National Measurement Office as the Enforcement Authority for the Energy Labelling and Energy Using Products Framework Directives and is currently considering options to improve enforcement activities.

Additionally, Defra/MTP currently supports UK compliance activity by:

  • Acting as secretariat to the UK Compliance Network of stakeholders involved in the enforcement of energy labelling in the UK
  • Publishing a Briefing Note BNXS40: Reducing the impact of tolerances within the current EU Energy Labelling scheme.
  • Supporting ITFSP’s  Global Sustainable Product Network for compliance monitoring
  • Conducting surveys of in-shop and distance seller labelling display
  • Publishing the results of its compliance activities

4.  The following reports can be downloaded from this website:

Downloadable energy label templates for white goods Trading Standards, LACORS and RETRA have collaborated to help retailers to get their labelling right. Colour templates for each category of product have now been prepared and are available for anyone to download and print off. This should then enable retailers to fit the data sheet to the template and affix to the product. The downloads are available from: http://www.lacors.gov.uk/lacors/ContentDetails.aspx?id=19509

[1] A review of the range of activity throughout Member States related to compliance with the EU Energy Label regulations in those countries, ANEC, December 2006