Policy win: household goods to carry water efficiency labels

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has recently announced that water-using products will soon be sold with new water efficiency labels.

This follows a public consultation on mandatory water efficiency labelling, which signalled support for a mandatory water label that aims to reduce personal water consumption by 20%. The Westminster Sustainable Business Forum recommended the introduction of such a label in its 2020 Bricks and Water inquiry:

“Government should introduce a mandatory water label for all fixtures, fittings, and water using products, visible at the point of sale (similar to the existing energy consumption label). The label should be linked to minimum standards for water efficiency, which could be tightened over time.”

WSBF Policy Manager and Bricks and Water author, Rob Allen said:

“We are delighted to see that the Government has acted on our recommendation for the introduction of mandatory labelling for toilets, taps, showers, and water-using products. This will help to conserve water, protect the environment, and reduce consumer bills. We hope that the Government will lay the necessary secondary legislation to introduce new labelling as a matter of urgency.”