EU gives green light for digital labelling for fertilisers
Bar code - Image by Tumisu from Pixabay
The EU Council gave the final go-ahead Monday to a regulation for QR or bar coding for fertilising products. This is the last step in the decision-making procedure.
Digital labels are QR or bar codes that redirect the user to a web page where the information of the label is stored. Digital solutions reduce substantially the cost of labelling and at the same time make it easy to update its content.
The new regulation promotes the use of digital labels on EU fertilising products while keeping physical labels where they are necessary. It also improves the readability of labels and simplifies the labelling obligations of suppliers.
The regulation updates the existing regulation about fertilizers' labels. It promotes the use of digital labelling to reduce the costs, bureaucracy, and environmental footprint for producers. Digital labels will have a life-time of at least 10 years since a product is placed on the market.
The regulation also ensures the availability of information by physical means to protect vulnerable consumers or people with limited digital competences.
Digital labels will be proposed for products sold in bulk, provided that the necessary information is also displayed in physical format in a visible place at the point of sale.
The Commission will be empowered to update the general digital labelling requirements through delegated acts.
Following the Council's approval of the European Parliament's position, the legislative act has been adopted.
Once signed by the President of the European Parliament and the President of the Council, the regulation will be published in the Official Journal of the European Union and will enter into force three days later.
Regulation on the digital labelling of EU fertilising products, 22 July 2024