During the latest meeting of the European Bathroom Forum (EBF) on 5 July in Lisbon, the majority of the principal representatives of the Bathroom Sector came to a Voluntary Agreement on a single labelling scheme. The chosen scheme will contain clear and concise information about water and energy efficiency of taps andshowers and responds to the demands for harmonisation laid out by the European Commission. The Voluntary Agreement is a key step in the commitment of the industry to help consumers make more informed decisions and contribute to more responsible use of resources.

With more than 70 stakeholders of the bathroom sectorin attendance including manufacturers, brands, test labs, associations and independent consultants, the meeting led to the adoption of a single labelling scheme based on the proposals and contributions of the Swedish Energy Agency, the Swiss Energy, the ANQIP and the European Water Label. The scheme will be presented by the European Association for the Taps and Valves Industry (CEIR) to the European Commission for its subsequent approval as part of a proposal for a Voluntary Agreement. This represents an important step forward for the joint work of the European Bathroom Industry and their sustainability policies.

In order to reach the agreement adopted in Lisbon, the participants took into account which label among the four presented schemes more clearly transmitted information about water and energy consumption through visual icons. The European Water Label was chosen as a starting point and the meeting was used to include modifications that will improve the distribution of information and its visibility, making it accessible to all markets.

The approval of a single water and energy efficiency labelling scheme provides relevant information to consumers and facilitates decision making when purchasing products at a point of sale. The EBF is now working to increase the visibility of the label with the target to reach, through the scheme, at least 80% of taps and showers in the marketplace, thus meeting the European Commission’s requirements to validate the proposal.

Under the framework “Best of All”, the EBF is leading a debate amongst numerous industrial and business representatives regarding how to merge existing schemes to create a joint strategy that is satisfactory for all parties. After the Voluntary Agreement, the members of the EBF set the next meeting for 8 October 2018 in Frankfurt, where they will continue to discuss the technical aspects of the implementation and dissemination of the Water/Energy efficiency label, new actions for labelling in other categories of bathroom products such as sanitaryware, as well as policies focused on working together to optimize water and energy consumption in Europe.