The NordQual project, financed by the EU Consumer Programme, is a one-year cooperation between consumer organizations in Denmark, Finland, and Sweden to evaluate household cleaners and identify potentially misleading marketing strategies.
Based on product testing and desk research on 166 household cleaning products, the project identified the following challenges to consumers in choosing effective products that minimize impacts to health and the environment:
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Dual quality and market quality – product quality, contents, and availability can vary between Denmark, Finland, and Sweden
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Poor performance – some products do not do the cleaning job consumers expect
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Problematic chemicals – some ingredients can be harmful to health or the environment
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Inaccessible ingredient information – consumers can have difficulty accessing ingredients information due to many companies out of compliance with EU detergent regulation
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Greenwashing and misleading claims – unsubstantiated claims can mislead consumers
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Hazard information and warnings – important consumer information is sometimes missing or hard to read
The purpose of this report is to:
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Help consumers by informing consumer organizations, environmental organizations, and other advocacy groups how consumers can avoid potential risks where legislation is lagging and companies are not taking responsibility (e.g., by buying products with credible labels, and not being tricked by empty greenwashing), and opportunities for strengthening labeling schemes.
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Provide industry recommendations for what they should improve (ingredients, labeling, packaging, offering healthier and better-quality products in all markets)
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Inform enforcement agencies about where there is a lack of compliance in protecting consumers (e.g., ingredient lists on websites, illegible labels, misleading claims)
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Inform policymakers (EU and country level) where the legislation is not adequately protecting consumers (e.g., problematic chemicals, illegible labels, misleading claims)
09 augusti, 2021