Tokyo to Launch Energy Conservation Labeling System for Consumer Electronics

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government announced on January 26, 2005 that it would amend its Municipal Environment Protection Ordinance at the February meeting of the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly in order to strengthen its measures for dealing with global warming. As a new way to promote energy conservation at the household level, the government will require electronics stores to label products such as air-conditioners, refrigerators and tube televisions to show their level of energy efficiency, classified into five categories. To deal with stores that do not affix the required labels, the government will issue recommendations and make public the names of nonconforming stores.

This labeling system has been adopted by the Council for the Campaign to Label Energy-Saving Products, which promotes global warming measures at the household level and consists of representatives of the Metropolitan government, other leading communities and non-profit organizations. The five levels of energy-efficiency performance are AAA, AA and A for products with an energy efficiency rate of 100 percent or higher as compared to the national standard, and B and C for products that fall short of the national standard. The label also shows total estimated electricity costs for the first ten years as well as the sales price, so consumers can choose products based on expected running costs as well as the cost of the appliance.

Tokyo started this labeling campaign on a trial basis in 2002, and since 2004 seven other communities in the Metropolitan area have jointly started using the same labels. With the leadership of proactive local communities, campaign promoters hope to institute a nationwide energy conservation labeling system using this approach.



Posted: 2005/07/18 10:43:10 PM
Japanese version