A group of leading European retailers and electronics manufacturers have confirmed they are lobbying the EU to ditch punitive trade tariffs on the import of energy-saving light bulbs from China, a move they claim could cut the cost of CFL bulbs by up to 66 per cent.
The group, which includes UK supermarket Tesco, Swedish furniture giant Ikea and Dutch electronics group Philips, claims the anti-dumping tariffs are inflating the price of energy-saving bulbs and are in direct contradiction to the EU's commitment to curb carbon emissions by 20 per cent by 2020.
"We have urged the European Commission to make an early and clear decision to end the dumping duties on low-energy light bulbs imported from China," said Katherine Symonds, sustainability manager at Tesco, adding that the tariffs were leading to "artificially inflated" prices that make it harder for customers to buy low-energy bulbs.
Advocates of low-energy bulbs claim that while they prove more cost-effective than traditional incandescent alternatives over the whole life of the bulb, adoption is hampered by higher up-front costs.
The tariffs were introduced in 2002 to protect European manufacturers of CFLs, however critics claim that many of the bulbs now imported into the union are manufactured by European firms with facilities in China, and as such the tariffs are now outdated.
Plans to make energy efficient products cheaper to be aired at EU summit, as Commission President rattles sabre at US and China over post Kyoto deal 13 Mar 2008
Renewables industry urges prime minister to back EU goal for 20 per cent of energy to be generated from renewables by 2020 as ministers push for lower targets 23 Oct 2007
Construction industry claims more flexible definition is needed to meet Budget target of all new buildings being zero carbon by 2019 13 Mar 2008
More than three quarters of consumers want higher environmental product standards from government 04 Jul 2008
Bright idea could cut Chinese carbon emissions by 60m tonnes per year 24 Apr 2008
Company poised to join research project designed to optimise carbon capture processes 21 Aug 2008
Call for an investment programme on a scale of the Apollo projects as party pledges to increase pressure on government to toughen up Climate Bill 21 Aug 2008
Businesses using old PCs as thin clients are struggling to achieve expected carbon savings 21 Aug 2008
More news
The impending global water crisis can only be averted if the private sector takes advantage of the water investment opportunities on offer 21 Aug 2008
As the reputational risks associated with greenwash become more apparent every day, Paul Thomas asks why some firms still find themselves overstating their environmental credentials 20 Aug 2008
Emissions trading is widely touted as one of the best mechanisms for tackling climate change, but how do these schemes work and how will your business be affected? Tom Young investigates three of the emissions trading schemes having an impact on UK firms 19 Aug 2008 More in-depth
Post your comment
Send an email to the Business Green editor at feedback@businessgreen.com
