EU pushes for ban on non-metric labeling
By Staff -- Purchasing, 12/10/1998
The European Union is trying to insist that all contents on all product labels are printed in metrics, and metrics only. So far, the U.S. has managed to stall such a directive for 10 years, and there is talk of another postponement, ranging between 3-7 years, with five years being the figure both U.S. and EU officials cite most frequently.The issue of measurement affects the entire supply chain--everything from the procurement of raw materials, to components, finished products, packaging, and labeling.
Many U.S. manufacturers now produce labels that include both metric and English measurements. There is some recognition that this boosts overseas sales. But the EU insistence on barring English measurements entirely would mean jettisoning labels that include both systems. The last big push for metrification in the U.S. took place in the early 1990s. But U.S. industry succeeded in stalling what some members of the global economy, especially Europeans, consider an inevitability.
The stalling may have taken place at the expense of other industries. In the U.S., for example, there was once substantial demand for metric-cut metals for use in creating specialized parts and machinery for overseas consumption. When bulk materials supplies could not be obtained in the U.S., they were sourced overseas. But shipping was halted when the U.S. steel industry--after fractious Federal Trade Commission (FTC) hearings--won quotas on imported steel.
European industry and accreditation officials say they are investigating a three-pronged approach to encouraging worldwide acceptance of the metric system. The main question, they say, is how to promote metrification without creating trade barriers or disputes with holdouts to English measurement.
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