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Swedish fuel dispensers first with mandatory consumer eco-label

As of October 1, 2021, consumer information on the climate intensity, renewable share, and origin of the fuel must be declared with an eco-label on fuel dispensers at filling stations in Sweden."We have been campaigning for eco-labels on fuel dispensers for almost ten years. Therefore, we are very happy that they finally are here," said Marie Pellas, chairperson of the Swedish Association of Green Motorists. 

The contents of the Swedish eco-labels on transportation fuel dispensers with information about the climate intensity of the fuel, together with its renewable share and raw materials A climate impact rating is shown as a horizontal, colored bar, running from red (high) to green (low). The declared information is specific to a given fuel product sold by a given retailer a given year (photo courtesy Green Motorists).

Swedish retailers of liquid or gaseous transportation fuels are now required to provide information about the climate intensity of the fuel, together with its renewable share and raw materials on the eco-label at the filling device. The declared information is specific to a given fuel product sold by a given retailer a given year.

More detailed sustainability information is also be made available on the website of each retailer, including information about the country(ies) of origin of the raw materials. Eco-labels of this kind are also present at the charging points for electric vehicles (EVs) run by fuel retailers.

Raise awareness and promote fair competition

The purpose of the eco-labels is to make the differences in climate intensity of fossil fuels, biofuels, and electricity clear to the public, to raise general awareness of the importance of sustainable fuels, and to allow Swedish fuel producers and retailers to compete with sustainability in a fair manner.

We have been campaigning for eco-labels on fuel dispensers for almost ten years. Therefore, we are very happy that they finally are here, said Marie Pellas, chairperson of the Swedish Association of Green Motorists.

According to the Swedish Association of Green Motorists, Sweden is the first country to introduce such consumer eco-labels for transportation fuels. However, the Swedish system is designed so that all EU member states can in principle, introduce the same kind of consumer information.

We will do our best to inspire more countries to follow the example of Sweden, Marie Pellas said.

Furthermore, the Association highlights that related efforts are being seen in other markets. In the United States (US), gasoline pumps in Cambridge, Massachusetts (MA) are required as of December 2020, to have yellow warning labels alerting the motorist that the burning of the fuel has a major impact on health, the environment, and climate.

Eco-labels on fuel dispensers for ethanol E85 (left), gasoline E10 (center), and diesel (right) at
a filling station operated by Preem (photo courtesy Green Motorists).

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