📋 Tender Overview
The initiative modifies the Law on the Protection of Consumer Rights and seeks to strengthen the environmental information available to citizens.
The Environment Commission generally approved the project in its first constitutional process, which establishes a voluntary system of eco-labeling of products and which had its origin in a motion presented by senators Alfonso De Urresti, Francisco Chahuan, Sergio Gahona, Ricardo Lagos and Juan Ignacio Latorre. The initiative modifies the Law that establishes Standards on the Protection of Consumer Rights, incorporating provisions to guarantee access to clear, verifiable and transparent information on the environmental impact of consumer goods. Within the framework of its analysis, the body heard the presentations of the deputy director of Sustainable Production of the Sustainability and Climate Change Agency, Sebastian Carvallo; the coordinator of Clean Production Agreements, Daniela Vasquez; and the executive director of Fundacion Basura, Tamara Ortega. The project seeks to establish a regulatory framework that regulates the voluntary implementation of ecolabels, in order to allow people to make informed decisions by knowing the environmental impact of the products they consume, promoting more responsible consumption and aligning national regulations with international standards, such as ISO standards on environmental matters. It also aims to encourage sustainable production, promoting companies to reduce their ecological footprint and obtain certifications that make their environmental performance visible, and generate greater transparency in the market and combat the (practice by which some companies present themselves as more ecological than they really are), through clear, verifiable and comparable standards. The regulations provide that products that access the system must incorporate visible information on the container, packaging or documentation, detailing aspects such as their life cycle, recyclability or reuse, composition of biodegradable or toxic materials, energy consumption or other relevant variables to measure their environmental impact. The labels must include, at least, a standardized pictogram approved by the competent authority, the environmental parameters evaluated, such as the carbon footprint expressed in kilograms, and a QR code that allows access to detailed product information. This is a voluntary certification tool, which companies will be able to access if they meet environmental criteria defined by an accredited and independent rating entity. BENEFITS For consumers, eco-labelling will provide access to reliable and simple information, facilitating the choice of products with less environmental impact and strengthening trust in brands. For companies, it represents an opportunity for differentiation in the market, improvement in their production processes, access to new niches and strengthening their corporate image by demonstrating a voluntary commitment to sustainability. From an environmental point of view, the initiative will contribute to reducing pollution, encouraging innovation in more sustainable processes and products and promoting a gradual transition towards responsible production and consumption patterns.
