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Turunen MEP: ‘There are many situations that can make us vulnerable as consumers’
Danish MEP Emilie Turunen explains why the European Commission should strengthen protections for the elderly, disabled and other potentially vulnerable consumers.
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Pesticides chief: ‘We were not really listening to societal concerns’
After years of trying to persuade consumers that their products present no health or environmental risk, the pesticides industry has now recognised its failure to address wider society concerns. Friedhelm Schmider of industry group ECPA promises "a huge change of mindset" in engaging with consumers and farmers.
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BEUC: ‘We’re asking MEPs to sign up to consumer pledge’
Getting citizens to vote in the European elections should not be a gruelling task, according to Monique Goyens, director-general of BEUC, the EU consumer organisation. In an interview with EURACTIV, she explained how a proposed “consumer pact” could re-connect voters to Europe.
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Where is the consumer in the Energy Efficiency Directive?
Consumers will not be able to cut their energy consumption unless the energy efficiency directive creates a framework for smart meter feedback, accurate bills and information campaigns, argues Monique Goyens, Director General of The European Consumer Organisation (BEUC).
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Time to jump-start eco-design
After years of delays, hopes are high that 2012 will be the year Europe’s Ecodesign Directive will finally kick into action, saving billions of euros and the environment, says Stéphane Arditi, coordinator for the 'Coolproducts' campaign to promote energy-efficient appliances and other consumer goods.
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Towards a global life-cycle economy?
Assessing the environmental impact of products throughout their whole lifecycle - from raw material extraction to transport, consumption and final disposal - is being touted as the new mantra in environmental policymaking and sustainable business decision-making.
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Consumer empowerment: Helping shoppers to buy green [Archived]
As pressure mounts to lead sustainable lifestyles, policymakers and companies alike are mulling new ways of encouraging shoppers to buy green. But consumer groups warned against confronting shoppers with too much information and warned that companies' green claims are often not independently verified.
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Consumers: Buying green?
Environmentally-friendly goods are often overpriced for many consumers – and as the economic crisis continues to bite, policymakers are mulling tax incentives to make green shopping more affordable.
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Sustainable Consumption and Production
Amid concerns that growing resource scarcity and rising raw material costs are dampening prospects for Europe's economic growth, the EU is looking for ways to decrease the environmental impact of industrial activity, product manufacturing and consumption patterns.
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MEP: It’s ethically unacceptable that we throw out so much food
Swedish MEP Anna Maria Corazza Bildt explains why she wants to introduce restaurant "doggy bags" in Europe, and what the EU can do to diminish food waste.
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Food waste, greening diets become EU policy goals
SPECIAL REPORT / The European Commission wants to help consumers cut food waste by making 'best before' and 'use by' dates clearer on the packaging. But measures to green up our diets will not stop here, with policymakers' attention turning to the entire food chain.
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Tory MP calls for personal carbon-trading scheme
SPECIAL REPORT / The chair of the British Parliament’s energy and climate change committee has called for the launch of a pilot personal carbon allowance (PCA) trading scheme, which could be based in his own constituency, and funded by the private sector and possibly the EU.
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EU wants carbon labels to do what they say on the tin
SPECIAL REPORT / A European Commission review of carbon dioxide labelling methodologies for commercial products, due later this year, is likely to propose a grading system similar to the EU energy consumption labels for products, goods and services, EURACTIV has learned.
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Finding the right mix to spur greener consumption
SPECIAL REPORT / World leaders attending the recent Rio+20 conference agreed to promote sustainable consumption and production, but analysts say getting businesses and buyers to do just that will require far more than words on paper.
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Facing up to the sustainable consumption conundrum
SPECIAL REPORT / The earth is running out of natural resources like land, water and minerals so quickly that if nothing is done, some predictions say that by 2030 humankind will need the equivalent of two planets to sustain our current lifestyle.
