Commercial Information Circulars

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e-mail address : enquiry@tid.gov.hk

Ref : EIC 230/4/1

2 December 2005

Dear Sirs,

Commercial Information Circular No. 494/2005

European Union (EU)* : Community Eco-label Award Scheme

Further to Commercial Information Circulars No. 54/99 of 22 April 1999, No. 147/2001 of 25 September 2001 and No. 79/2002 of 19 April 2002, the European Commission has adopted a Decision to extend the validity of the existing ecological criteria for three product groups (viz. dishwashers, footwear and hard floor coverings) under the Community Eco-label Award Scheme. Details are set out in Commission Decision 2005/783/EC (the Decision), a copy of which is attached (pdf format) to this circular for reference.

DETAILS

2. Under the Decision, the validity of the ecological criteria for the award of the Community eco-label will be extended until 28 August 2007 (for dishwashers) and 31 March 2008 (for footwear and hard floor coverings). Salient points of the product group definitions and the ecological criteria for the three product groups are set out in paragraphs 3-5 below.

Dishwashers

3. The current product group definition and the ecological criteria for dishwashers were established in August 2001. The product group has been defined as "electric mains-operated household dishwashers sold to the general public. Appliances that may also use other energy sources, such as batteries, or have no internal heat source, are excluded". To qualify for the Community eco-label, the product concerned must meet specific ecological criteria on certain areas including energy efficiency, water consumption and noise emission.

Footwear

4. The current product group definition and the ecological criteria for footwear were established in March 2002. The product group has been defined to comprise all articles of clothing designed to protect or cover the foot, with a fixed outer sole which comes into contact with the ground. To qualify for the Community eco-label, the product concerned must meet specific ecological criteria on certain areas including use of harmful substances, energy consumption and information on the packaging.

Hard Floor Coverings

5. The current product group definition and the ecological criteria for hard floor coverings were established in March 2002. The product group has been defined to cover natural stones, agglomerated stones, concrete paving units, terrazzo tiles, ceramic tiles and clay tiles used for internal/external flooring without any relevant structural function. To qualify for the Community eco-label, the product concerned must meet specific ecological criteria on certain areas including raw materials extraction, waste management and consumer information.
   

ENQUIRIES

6. For enquiries about the content of this circular, please contact the undersigned at telephone number 2398 5684.

Yours faithfully,

(Miss Sandra SOU)

for Director-General of Trade and Industry

* The EU includes Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, the Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom.

Note : While every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the above information, the Department cannot guarantee this to be so and will not be held liable for any reliance placed on the same.