NATRUE, alongside eighteen other industry associations, is urging European policymakers to adopt a coordinated approach to product information via digital platforms, benefitting consumers, businesses, and especially small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
While essential basic product information should always remain on packaging, embracing the provision digital methods for additional information is in line with the digital era and offers numerous advantages for both consumers and economic operators, including:
- Environmental impact: E-labelling can significantly reduce waste associated with traditional physical labels and strengthen circularity.
- Agility and swift updates: digital labelling enables economic operators to swiftly update information and allows consumers for a quick adaptation.
- A more user-friendly approach for consumers.
- Safeguarding the integrity of the Single Market, ensuring legal certainty, transparency and coherence across the Member States.
- Competitiveness and innovation: a harmonised framework could open the space for innovations and new technologies.
- Improved traceability to have the potential to enhance traceability and help the fight against counterfeiting.
The signatory associations call on EU policymakers to create an enabling policy framework for digital consumer information in the new legislative term, following the recent European elections. A harmonised digital labelling system across policy areas would improve traceability, combat counterfeiting, and help to unlock global competitiveness for EU industries.
The letter can be read in full here.
All NATRUE contributions are available here.