The European Commission has just launched the new Action Plan on SCP. The action plan aims to be a package of measure that will enable the development of more eco-friendly products while assisting the selection of those products by consumers.

At first glance it seems to offer a degree of coherence to existing policy packages without proposing anything radical or new. It seem to take a very light touch on sustainable consumption and will more than likely be a major disappointment to sustainable consumption and production campaigners and researchers. For example, the role of advertising only represents a minor element of the action plan.

This lack of a design-led vision for SCP combined with an emphasis on voluntary measures only sets the ground for future SCP policy development.