UWLA’s managing director Yvonne Orgill has urged the industry to respond to the government consultation on introducing compulsory water labelling, which closes in one weeks’ time on 25 November.
Yvonne said: “We must not miss this opportunity to make our views known or we risk having a mandatory label.
“Those that already support the Unified Water Label and know that it is robust, already established and growing, can reinforce our message to Government that a mandatory label is not the best solution.
“Our message to those that are new to the Unified Water Label, is please take a look at the website to find out more and understand why leading international retailers such as IKEA, Globus and merchant group PHG are supporting the label.
“We welcome the government’s commitment to reducing water waste but do not consider it necessary or cost effective to develop a new labelling system when one is already in place.
“The Unified Water Label that has been identified within the ISO Standard 31600:2022 as best practice, and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, (DEFRA), has stated in the consultation document that their approach is based on this standard.
“The Unified Water Label is the only label worldwide that covers 14 differing product categories. The database includes 14,000 individual products, which is regularly accessed by 10,000 architects and specifiers. The label has also been used on 150,000 building or refurbishment projects internationally.
“We believe that a mandatory label will be significantly more expensive for the industry than a voluntary one and that a mandatory system will take away the flexibility that the industry now has to operate a system that meets their needs. They will also be exposed to an enforcement body that will have the power to impose sanctions, under the proposed mandatory scheme.
“We are asking the members and supporters to work with us for the benefit of the industry, and respond before the consultation closes on 25 November.”