Suchergebnisse

The key element in consumer policy is to create the best possible conditions for consumers: The best conditions with regard to consumer protection and rights, but also in relation to the opportunity for consumers to choose between an ever expanding range of alternatives on a transparent basis.There is a long tradition of creating good conditions for consumers in the Nordic countries. However, having a good baseline must not be used as an excuse for politicians, authorities or the business community to rest on their laurels. Good conditions for consumers benefit the individual consumer, but they also help ensure that Nordic businesses are highly competitive. These are characteristics and strengths we need to build on. If the best possible conditions are to be ensured, it is of course crucially important to know what conditions consumers actually regard as significant. It is important to focus on those areas that have the greatest impact on consumer satisfaction. It is important to be able to allocate priorities - but sensible allocation of priorities necessitates having knowledge based on facts.The purpose of the project was to make a start on the development of the Nordic model for consumer and customer satisfaction, as a step in the direction of consumer policy based on facts. It is hoped that more quantitative arguments can be brought into the debate on setting priorities with the model, and that it will become possible to monitor whether the initiatives that are launched actually have the anticipated effects.

The concept of political consumerism draws on the observation that consumer choice and the rising politics of products is an increasingly important form of political participation, especially with regard to such issues as human rights, animal rights, global solidarity and environmental responsibility. The 2nd International Seminar on Political Consumerism was arranged to enhance our knowledge about political consumerism. This report includes revised versions of the papers that were presented and discussed at the seminar. Scholars from various disciplines presented papers that discussed and analyzed such topics as the characteristics of (especially Nordic) political consumers and their motivations to express their political concerns through market channels, how consumer power and individual choice can be linked to public influence, political and market conditions for the success, effectiveness, or failure of political consumerism as a regulatory tool, and the framing, mobilization, and organizational processes behind political consumerism.

All EU Member States were to implement the rules set out in the EU Directive 2002/96/EC on Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) in their national legislation by 13 August 2005. One of the challenges of the WEEE Directive is that the requirements in the WEEE Directive also include distance sellers, selling EEE by means of distance communication to end users (private households) in other Member States. The implementation of the provisions on distance sellers was the topic for a joint EU workshop for TAC members and representatives from the national producer registers in Copenhagen on 9–10 November 2006. The workshop was arranged by the Nordic WEEE working group and supported by the Nordic Council of Ministers. This report summaries the discussions and the conclusions from the workshop. The report has been prepared by KPMG, Denmark, for the Nordic Council of Ministers.

This manual provides advice and tools to develop, organise and execute environmental communication to consumers. It has been written for decision makers and employees responsible for environmental communication in governmental authorities, companies, and NGOs, and in particular it aims at those whose professional background is outside communication. The manual is divided into eight chapters, each providing a necessary step in the process: Goals, Senders, Receivers, Arguments, Concept, Means, Execution, Follow-up. The chapters are instructive and include interesting examples, figures and illustrations. The manual also contains an extensive annex describing the various means of communication. The point of departure of the manual is that environmental communication to consumers is about more than communicating about the environment! Purely environmental arguments build on collective and long-term interests such as not to impoverish our natural foundation. Most consumers will not change their behaviour for this reason alone. Therefore it is important to supplement environmental arguments with more short-term arguments about individual benefits such as quality, price, health or convenience. The manual builds on experience and analyses from the Nordic countries and includes 21 examples of good environmental communication in the Nordic region. The idea of the guide was fathered in the Cross-sector Group for Product Policy of the Nordic Council of Ministers, NMRIPP. The group's work includes developing and disseminating knowledge about consumer-oriented environmental communication.

The European Commission has launched an extensive revision of the Food Labelling legislation. In a Consultative Document of February 2006, DG SANCO highlighted some specific themes they wanted to explore further. Based on this a Nordic Seminar, supported by the Nordic Council of Ministers and the Nordic Committee of Senior Officials for Food Issues, was arranged in November 2006. The aim of the seminar was to provide a platform for discussion about food labelling issues important to the Nordic countries and stakeholders regarding the issues highlighted in the Consultative Document. Comments from Nordic stakeholders and policymakers who participated at the workshop are presented in this report. Additionally, comments have been included from Nordic consumer studies.

This report summarizes the final results of a quantitative study on Nordic consumers' attitudes to food labelling. The study was conducted in the five Nordic countries Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland and Iceland. More than 1,000 interviews were conducted in each country. The results of this survey show that information about ingredients, nutritional contents, "best-before-date", and country of origin must be printed clearly on the food package. This is the "top-of-mind" information Nordic consumers want to see on food labels to be able to make a conscious choice when buying food. Furthermore, a majority of Nordic consumers welcome measures to facilitate for consumers to be able to take in information and increase the legibility of food packages. There is strong support for the introduction of a minimum print size and for obligatory labelling information always being laid out in the same format on the package. The purpose of the study was to collect updated information and knowledge on the needs and attitudes of Nordic consumers regarding food labelling. The study aims to contribute with information, knowledge and facts in preparation for the upcoming European Union revision of the food labelling rules.

The Nordic e-commerce strategy was finalised during 2003 by the Nordic ad hoc working group for electronic commerce and other IT-related issues. The working group was a joint working group for two policy areas within the Nordic Council of Ministers, the strategy covers both consumer policy and trade and industry policy. The basic idea for the strategy was that e-commerce is an important means for welfare and growth. The recommendations from the working group in the consumer area focus on increased awareness among both consumers and enterprises about their rights and obligations in the area of e-commerce. The working group also encourage joint projects between various stakeholders in the Nordic countries. Special focus should be made on strengthening children's and youngsters' position on the e-commerce market. The industry related recommendations enhance the importance of increased awareness and education in order to increase enterprises understanding of the benefits that e-business can bring and knowledge in how to use this potential. The lack of standardisation and interoperability between different e-business systems can constitute a barrier for e-business and should be closely monitored. The governments play an important role as a role model in its use of IT and e-commerce and should therefore strive to increase the public use and supply of e-services. On a Nordic level the development of the above mentioned areas should be monitored and exchange of experiences and good examples should be encouraged, both from the consumer and industry perspective. There is a great potential for increased collaboration and joint perspective between the Nordic countries regarding the promotion of e-commerce and for the enhancement of a Nordic market as part of the international market.

Do we need antibacterial garbage bags? A wide range of antibacterial consumer articles can be found on the Internet. Mostly there is no information on the antibacterial agents used or on their efficacy. Does this relate to bacterial resistance to antibiotics? The release of antibacterial agents from these articles creates a constant low exposure for microorganisms. This may help accelerating the development of bacterial resistance. Important research is on-going. Can we know if an article contains antibacterial agents? New rules in EU legislation apply for treated articles. When implemented, information will be given if an article is treated for antibacterial effects and the claimed effects will be substantiated. An outline for a strategy to prevent unjustified antibacterial articles was elaborated at a Nordic workshop, initiated by the Swedish presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers.

In-house control and the documentation of it, is the basis for the assurance of compliance with the legislation, both in the food area and in the area of FCM. This report is a check list to guide on declarations of compliance, and the target group for the project is industry, trade and private consultants as well as the public food inspection, both in the Nordic countries and in the EU. The Nordic food authorities have elaborated these check lists with the minimum requirements to the documentation needed for compliance with the legal requirements in the in-house documentation in industry and trade. The documentation should be the basis for declarations of compliance. A declaration of compliance can either be identical with the documentation or an extract. The check lists parameters cover minimum requirements for the development of sufficient in-house documentation, in general, in all links of the value chain. They are drafted in order to give a starting point for industry and trade when developing their in-house documentation and declaration of compliance. It can be used in present and future work on improving or constructing in-house control in order to ensure compliance with the requirements in the legislation, especially the EU regulation no. 1935/2004, but also the specific measures in the area.

In-house control and the documentation of it, is the basis for the assurance of compliance with the legislation, both in the food area and in the area of FCM. This report is a check list to guide on declarations of compliance, and the target group for the project is industry, trade and private consultants as well as the public food inspection, both in the Nordic countries and in the EU. The Nordic food authorities have elaborated these check lists with the minimum requirements to the documentation needed for compliance with the legal requirements in the in-house documentation in industry and trade. The documentation should be the basis for declarations of compliance. A declaration of compliance can either be identical with the documentation or an extract. The check lists parameters cover minimum requirements for the development of sufficient in-house documentation, in general, in all links of the value chain. They are drafted in order to give a starting point for industry and trade when developing their in-house documentation and declaration of compliance. It can be used in present and future work on improving or constructing in-house control in order to ensure compliance with the requirements in the legislation, especially the EU regulation no. 1935/2004, but also the specific measures in the area.