§ Mr. Andrew F. BennettTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what proposals he has for amending the trade description legislation to take into account eco-labelling; and if he will propose that it should be an offence to claim a product is environmentally friendly if it has not been awarded an eco-label.
§ Mr. Leigh[holding answer 9 March 1992]: Many environmental claims are clearly within the scope of the Trade Descriptions Act 1968. We intend to amend the Act to put it beyond doubt that all such claims are covered as soon as parliamentary time permits. We do not think it would be right to outlaw environmental claims for goods not eligible to bear the eco-label but these claims will be subject to the Trade Descriptions Act.