For the uninitiated, greenwash is the term being used for the misleading claims which some manufacturers are making about the efficiency or environmental friendliness of their products. 

For example, should any product using an EFF2 AC motor really be described as “high efficiency”?  To put this into perspective, the European Energy Using Products (EuP) Directive which came into force in July 2009, says that all induction motors put on the market must meet the new IE2 (formerly EFF1) efficiency standard by June 2011.  This is intended to be a 2 year phase out period to allow manufacturers to bring their products up to the required standard and yet some are still actively promoting soon to be illegal EFF2 motors as a high efficiency product.

Remember also that the EuP sets fairly conservative efficiency targets and EC motors are on the market now and already exceed the IE3 efficiency targets which will not become mandatory until 2015.

Whether it’s about advertising standards, protecting the environment or protecting the end user who will have to meet higher than expected energy bills, it’s just not acceptable to blatantly mislead people in this way.

For further information contact:
Robert Harness, Special Projects Manager, ebm-papst UK Ltd
Chelmsford Business Park, Chelmsford, CM2 5EZ
Tel: 01245 468555             email: info@uk.ebmpapst.com

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