Ecolabel 'misleading'

(First Edition)

The new European ecolabel, designed to reassure consumers that a product is environmentally-friendly, may end up misleading them, according to a survey released today.

More than three-quarters of people questioned say they expect products carrying the ecolabel not to have been tested on animals. In fact, despite protests by environmentalists, ecolabel products may have involved animal testing.

The poll, carried out for the British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection, coincides with the launch today of a draft Bill which seeks to make it an offence, punishable by up to two years in prison, for businesses to make false, misleading or 'meaningless' green claims about products.