Swedish fuel dispensers now get mandatory eco-labels
From today, October 1, 2021, the climate intensity, renewable share, and origin of all kinds of transportation fuels must be disclosed on dispensers in Sweden. This is the world’s first mandatory eco-labels of this kind. The occasion is celebrated on October 4th with a live-streamed webinar, where the Swedish eco-labels are discussed, together with similar initiatives abroad.
Eco-labels for ethanol E85 (left), petrol (center), and diesel (right) at a Swedish petrol station run by Preem. A climate impact rating is shown as a horizontal, coloured bar, running from red (high) to green (low). Photo: The Swedish Association of Green Motorists (Click for high-res)
Suppliers of fluid or gaseous transportation fuels should provide overall information on the eco-label at the filling device about the climate intensity of the fuel, together with its renewable share and raw materials. Eco-labels of this kind should also be present at the charging points for electric vehicles run by such retailers. The declared information is specific to a given fuel product sold by a given retailer a given year.
More detailed sustainability information of the same kind should be offered at the website of each retailer, including information about the countries of origin of the raw materials.
– We have been campaigning for eco-labels on fuel dispensers for almost ten years, says Marie Pellas, president of the Swedish Association of Green Motorists. Therefore, we are very happy that they finally are here.
The purpose of the eco-labels is to make the differences in climate intensity of fossil fuels, biofuels and electricity clear to the public, to raise general awareness of the importance of sustainable fuels, and to allow Swedish fuel producers and retailers to compete with sustainability in a fair manner.
To affect the global fuel market in the slightest way by means of consumer power, eco-labels must be put on fuel dispensers in many countries more. The Swedish system is constructed in such a way that all member states of the EU can, in principle, introduce the same kind of consumer information tomorrow.
– We will do our best to inspire more countries to follow the example of Sweden, says Marie Pellas.
Related things are happening. In December 2020 all petrol pumps in Cambridge, MA, got yellow warning labels alerting the motorist that the burning of the fuel has major impact on health, the environment and climate.
Webinar
The climate change and health labels on fuel pumps in Sweden and Cambridge, together with other similar initiatives, will be discussed at a webinar that will be live streamed on Youtube on October 4th, 16.00-17.20 UTC (18.00-19.20 Central European Summer Time). [Update: we regret poor sound quality during livestream. It is fixed now]
The webinar is organized by the Swedish Green Party, in cooperation with the Green Motorists. It features Karolina Skog, who passed the Swedish eco-label bill in 2018 as Minister for the Environment, and Patricia Nolan, who passed the warning label ordinance in the City Council of Cambridge, MA.
Efforts to achieve similar climate change and health labels in Great Britain are discussed by Sir Andy Haines, who is Professor of Environmental Change and Public Health, and former Director of London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, together with Mike Gill, former Regional Director of Public Health, South East England. The ability of these kinds of labels to contribute to behaviour change is discussed by Lorraine Whitmarsh, who is Professor of Environmental Psychology in Bath, and Director of CAST (Centre for Climate Change and Social Transformations).
More information
Live-streamed webinar on October 4th, 16.00-17.20 UTC [Update: we regret poor sound quality during livestream. It is fixed now]
The winding history of eco-labels on Swedish fuel dispensers
Article in The Guardian about the warning labels in Cambridge, MA
For further information, please contact
Per Östborn, campaign manager, the Swedish Association of Green Motorists, per.ostborn@gronabilister.se, +46 (0)73 819 61 54
Eco-label for electricity at a charging point run by Kraftringen. Photo: The Swedish Association of Green Motorists (Click for high-res)
The contents of the Swedish eco-labels on transportation fuel dispensers (Click for high-res)
Published October 1, 2021