At the recent AGM of the Keele-based Bathroom Manufacturers Association, a packed house of over sixty members heard a speech from Dan Rogerson MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for water, forestry, rural affairs and resource management. He praised the work of the association and in particular its development of the European Water Label.
Dan Rogerson, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at DEFRA
Yvonne Orgill, CEO, Bathroom Manufacturers Association
Steve Lee, President, Bathroom Manufacturers Association
Steve Lee, President of the BMA, welcomed Mr. Rogerson who had broken away from his usual busy schedule in order to attend the BMA’s meeting which was held in Pall Mall, London, on 24 June 2014.
The audience were delighted to hear Mr. Rogerson talk about his support for the Water Label project, brainchild of the BMA, and now seen on 6500 bathroom and kitchen products in over 30 countries. He applauded the efforts of the BMA to promote the label in the UK and across Europe and was “hugely heartened” to see how the label was influencing purchasing decisions. This was just the first step for the label which had the potential to be used on a wide range of water using products.
He explained how and why water supply had become a key issue in the UK, and confirmed that the Water Act 2014, which received Royal Assent in May, would reform the water industry making it more innovative and responsive to customers. He was delighted to see that that the voluntary Water Label would be well established when the reforms enabled by the Act would come in.
During question time Mr. Rogerson talked about the importance of bathroom retailers in promoting the Water Label to consumers but confirmed that there were no plans to provide cash incentives to consumers to replace their old appliances.
He concluded with congratulations to the BMA and its members in developing the Water Label describing it as “at the cutting edge” in European product labelling.