D3.6
Assessment on barriers and opportunities to collaborate on product testing
-
Experiences from the Euro-Topten Max product competition
The Euro-Topten Max project is being conducted under the auspices of the Intelligent Energy-Europe programme of the European Commission and consists of the following partners: France – Ademe, French Agency for the Environment and Energy Management (project coordinator),– Guide Topten; Austria – AEA, Austrian Energy Agency; Belgium –BBL, Bond Beter Leefmilieu Vlaanderen vzw; Croatia – REGEA, Czech Republic – SEVEn; Finland – Motiva, Energy Information Centre for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Sources; Germany – ICLEI, ICLEI European Secretariat GmbH – Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment and Energy, – Öko-Institut e.V.; Greece – WWF Greece; Italy – WWF Italy; Lithuania – LNCF; Luxembourg - Oeko-Zenter, Ecological Center Luxembourg; Norway - Norges Naturvernforb, Friends of the Earth Norway; Poland – FEWE, Polish Foundation for Energy Efficiency; Portugal – Quercus; Romania – ICEMENERG; Spain – WWF Spain; Sweden – SSNC; UK – Keep Britain Tidy; and the following Steering Committee members: Bulgaria – Denkstatt; Germany – DENA, Deutsche Energieagentur; Switzerland – SAFE, WWF Switzerland
The importance of product testing
Product testing is done to evaluate the product according to selected quality criteria. These criteria can focus mainly on performance aspects like energy consumption or it can also consider additional aspects likeservice performance, ease of use, durability, as well as environmental and safety aspects. Different stakeholders can perform for different reasons product testing. Product testing done by consumer organizations can have significant impacts in addition to any voluntary or mandatory product standards demanded by governments. Through their unique creation of greater market transparency consumer organizations cancreate indirect pressure on industries and business for the maintenance and development of product quality, including energy efficiency.
Within the topten.eu context it is very important that consumers can trust the information that is given by the national Topten websites in order to build trust in the credibility of the information given and in the initiative itself.
Product testing by consumer organizations
Consumer organizations are typically non-governmental organizations and operate as private consumer associations, consumer unions or consumer alliances. In many countries consumer organizations rely to a considerable extent on the voluntarywork and contributions and memberships fees from members.
Depending on the priorities of individual consumer organizations, different types of initiatives and programmes are carried out and different kinds of services are provided. Comparative product quality testing and the publication of test results in consumer interest magazines is the most important consumer information activity through which consumer organizations publicize information on aspects of product quality.
Product quality testing requires laboratory equipment and professional technical staff that only few consumer organizations can afford. Consumer organizations typically commission testing to accredited laboratories for a fee. Due to the costs involved only larger and financially better-placed consumer organizations are able to commission testing.
Interesting in this aspect is also the work of the International Consumer Research & Testing – ICRT. ICRT is an international consortium of more than 45 independent consumer organizations world-wide that carry out joint research and comparative testing in the consumer interest. ICRT does not carry out tests, but commissions them at established laboratories. These tests are paid for and published by the member organizations and are their responsibility. One of the core topics is an international continuous test on washing machines of over 200 models per year that are published in more than 20 countries. All major member organizations have technical experts for market research as well as testing washing machines, evaluating the results and publishing them in magazines and on websites.
Technical tests of electrical appliances follow the national and international testing protocols and norms, as applicable in the respective countries. The EU standard classification for energy labeling is followed in general when energy efficiency categories are verified by consumer organizations from Europe.Occasionally, testscarried out which are notalways conducted with the objective of assessing the compliance with the energylabel. It islikelythat the organizations consider in their test programs otherlabeling instruments when it is in the strong interest of the consumer (i.e. ecolabel for cosmetics or clothing, FSC - label for wood) rather than the energy labelrequirements as their aim is the comparison of product.
Most test reports combine a brief narrative report with a comparison tabulation providing an overview of the main test results. Comparison reports also show photographs of products included in the tests, together with brand names and model specifications. The price and technical specifications (i.e. dimensions, weight, usable space/volume) are regularly listed for comparison purposes, but usually remain excluded from any evaluation.
Publication of product test results
Consumer organizations provide consumers with household energy consumption related information inessentially two complementary ways: (a) hints and recommendations on energy conscious appliance and equipment use aim to make consumers aware of energy conservation potentials in their homes; (b) reports on results of comparative product quality tests for energy-using home appliances intend to give consumers market overview and information on visible and non-visible aspects of product quality.As a part of their tests, some consumer organizations verify energy efficiency label ratings or claimed product capacity and publicize discrepancies where they occur. The dissemination of the test results are usually not free but are used heavily through media in cases when the test results show problematic products.
Whilst thesereports are mainly written for use of individual consumers they also attract attention among the industry concerned. Consumer organizations provide information of interest to members and non-members using the various available media. Most organizations provide their information to consumers through local newspapers. Some organizations also report the use of radio broadcasts and TV. Among the well-established organizations the regular publication of newsletters and magazines and guidebooks is the preferred way of disseminating consumer interest information to members and the general public.
Cooperation with consumer organisations
In principlecooperationbetweenconsumer organisations and national Topten initiatives are possible, even though, so far, cooperation has been very rare. The reason for that is the lack of long time benefit that could be offered by an exchange of information only. Consumer organisations focus onraising consumer awareness by informing the customerthroughpublicizing quality product test results and pricing information.Normally they cover a broad field of product aspects (environmental, policy making, energy consumption etc.) they want to inform about. Focus of the national Topten websites relies also on consumer awareness raising but with a focus on energy efficiency aspects of products (defining product selection criteria mainly focused on energy consumption) and screening the national market about availability of the products. This shows that theoretically, there is an intersection in the work field of consumer organizations and national Topten initiatives through which cooperation would be possible. Although in theory possible the past has shown that this is difficult in the practicalarrangement of cooperation’s.
The following exemplary selection of main European consumer organizations known to conduct product quality comparison tests and publish results in consumer interest magazines:
- Consumers' Association - United Kingdom (UK)
- Consumentenbond - Netherlands
- Forbrukerradet - Norway
- Konsumentverket – Sweden
- Stiftung Warentest - Germany
- Verein fuer Konsumenteninformation (VKI) – Austria
- Que Choisir and 60 Millions de Consommateurs - France
In some European countries a number of consumer organizations have engaged in product testing since the mid-1960s, covering almost all electrical home appliances. Depending on observed market trends, surveys and product tests are repeated or up-dated every 1 to 3 years, in particular tests on electrical appliances.
The MarketWatch project aims at increasing the involvement of civil society in market surveillance activities related toEcodesign and Energy Labelling. The project brings together a large consortium of environmental, consumer andenergy non-profit organisationsto use and mobilise test activities. The project published a report in 2014, which provides anoverview of the current activities ofconsumer associations and independent endorsement organisations inEurope with respect to the testing of energy-using products. The report can be downloaded here.
Product testing through product competition
A product competition enables manufacturers to present themselves as innovative companies thanks to their highly energy efficient products. Participation in the competition raises recognition for the manufacturers’ endeavors in the fields of energy efficiency and environment and enhances their reputation for environmental responsibility. Product testing aims of testing the compliance of the declared information bythe manufacturer.In an ideal case product competitions aim at pushing the manufacturers to produce the most efficient product in a specific category. In this case the purpose of quality product testing relates tothe verification of the manufacturers’ product declaration.
The benefits of participating manufacturers in a product competition are the various promotional activities run by the involved organisations.Manufacturers committed to rigorous product testing and continuous product improvement can, in most instances, achieve product superiority over their competitors. Product superiority, in turn, helps strengthening brand share, magnifies the positive effects of all marketing activities (advertising, promotion, selling, etc.), and often allows the superior product to command a premium price relative to competitors.
Important steps in theorganization of a product competition
The following issues are important to consider when organizing a product competition:
- Time schedule
- Product category, minimum levels to enter the competition and selection criteria for the winning product(s)
- Participation process
- Testing ofproducts
- Procedure in case ofnone compliance
- Awarding the winning product
- Promotional activities (announcement and then monitoring)
- Further use of tested product
Setting up a time schedule
The time schedule should be carefully defined and has to consider external factors. Certain phases of the year are very labor intensive for manufacturers while others are better suited to undertakeadditional tasks. This should be considered when defining deadlines for participation or product testing. The following areas are part of a product competition and should be considered within the time schedule:
- Announcement of the competition rules – invitation sent to manufacturers' European headquarters and publication of the rules (on-line), questions and answers period
- Deadline to register qualifying products
- Time frame to select wining product(s)
- Time frame for products’ tests (including a second round of testing should there be non compliant cases)
- Informing the winning manufacturers of the competition results and the awarding procedure. Information about possible marketing activities (e.g. exhibition of their product for which manufacturers are invited to provide product sample(s) for the exhibition, including their transport, delivery (in and out) and insurance).
- Date for award ceremony
The duration of the competition should be appropriate for manufacturers for adapting or modernizing their participating products to the defined selection criteria. Normally a duration often to twelve months is adequate.
Defining the product category and selection criteria
For the selection of the product category, the main decision driver should be the attractiveness for the consumer. Controversial products of different technologies can also generate interest. This decision must be made in each case taking into account the framework (which product, which aim for the competition, which area of the world, which opportunities in single countries, etc.).
Another possibility is to choose products that have a high market penetration and can be found in almost every household. These products are normally very mature and there is a high level of experience. Product competitions conducted in the field of those product categories must, where appropriate, take into account new aspects inthe selection criteria which are of interest for the consumers (e.g. .
When determining the selection criteria of the product group the current state of the art of the technology should be known. The criteria and the declared values should be ambitious for the manufacturers. They should be able to be reached only by a small segment of the already existing and available products on the market and give motivation for manufacturers to further develop their products. However, they should not be illusory and only be accessible by exceedingly high effort and large investments.
Defining the participation process
To participate in the competition, products should be available on the European market. For participation full product information according to the respective product category and complying with the selection criteria is requested. This product information has to be sent to the organizer of the product competition within the registration deadline. There has to be a contact person named which receives the product data and storesit in a database for further analysis.
Testing the products
After the winning product has been identified, the manufacturer will be contacted. The manufacturer then has the possibility to withdraw from the competition or sign a letter of agreement for the product testing procedure.
Should the winning product be sold under different brand names and/or in different countries, the manufacturing company or the brand under which the winning product is presented will be contacted first. This manufacturer/brand will decide under which brand the product will be exhibited.
The methods and procedures of product testing should constitute a standardized system, so that every product is tested exactly the same way, including identical product preparation and similar analytical methods.It is recommended to use the sameaccredited laboratory for all product testing as it ensures that all tests are conducted in the exact same way.
Procedure for none compliance
For all products participating in the competition, the organizer should be entitled to verify the producers’ declarations. This should be stated in the competition rules and agreed by the participating manufacturers. Each winning product will be tested at an internationally recognized testing laboratory. Should the test result display a non-compliance of the product performance with the declaredvalues, there has to be a procedurepublishedand agreed by the manufacturers. One possible solution can be that the organizer of the competition will communicate the non-compliance of the product to the manufacturer.The manufacturer then will be invited to provide funding for buying and testing three more units. Should the manufacturer decline this invitation, the product will be considered as withdrawn from the competition and the organizers are allowed to communicate the withdrawal and the reason for it.
In the case of the Euro-Topten Max competition, one non-compliance case was identified, and this procedure was followed, allowing a very interesting dialogue with the manufacturer and the identification of a problem due to a change in the production line (see explanatory paper in Appendix 1, written in collaboration with the manufacturer).
Awarding the winning product
The best product in each category assessed according to a set of selection criteria will be awarded. This can be done in different ways. Normally an award logo is designed for marking the product and thus having itrecognized to be at the forefront of the European market. The logo is designed for marketing purpose and will be available for further communication activities by the winning manufacturer of the competition. The award logo is handed out during an award ceremony which can be part of a public event like a topic-related international fair, congress or workshop. If an official representative of the organizing institution hands out the award logo during this event, it is easier then for the manufacturers and supporters to speak in the media about this event.
The press release prepared for the Euro-Topten Max award ceremony is presented in Appendix 2.
Further use of tested product
Some time shall be budgeted for the processing of the products after finalizing the tests in order to put the appliances to good use. A very efficient option of further utilization is raffling the products directly at the fare/exhibition of the product competition. In that way, the attention of participants and visitors of the exhibition is granted for both the organizerproject and the winner of the product competition. This win-win situation for everyone involved is an effective publicity method. It raises awareness on the one hand but it also gives the organizerthe opportunity to give away the appliances he no longer uses, without causing extra expenditures. For heavier goods, such as TV sets, washing machines, tumble dryers or dishwashers, thetransportation of the appliance to the winning participant should be considered. Another possibility is to donate the products to charity organisations such as shelters for homeless people, orphanages or hospitals. This has positive outcomes for both society and environment.
Contact information
DDI. Marcus Hofmann
Austrian Energy Agency
Mariahilfer Straße 136
1150 Vienna | Austria
T. +43-1-586 15 24-143
You may also contact your national Topten contact by email or phone. Your national contact can be found on the Topten national website or at
Appendix 1
Report Delta Lux Florett 927 GU 10
Explanatory notes of non-compliance test results within the product competition of EU-Project Euro Topten Max
Author: Original version in German: Dr. Stefan Kreidler, Onlog AG, Switzerland, 23. January 2015
Summarized and translated into English: Burgholzer Alban (AEA), Marcus Hofmann (AEA)