Ecochèques for "green purchases" in Belgium?

[Christophe]

The check is coming to help you pay for your "green" purchases

New in terms of consumption: the creation of ecocheques. The principle is the same as that of meal vouchers used in restaurants and supermarkets. These ecocheques can help pay for any article related to sustainable development.

Every year, Belgian households spend about 1500 euros on products that respect sustainable development. A serious budget that can now partly be filled by ecocheques. To simplify, we can say that the ecocheque is sustainable development what the meal voucher is to food. The value of an ecocheque is 5 or 10 euros. They are valid for 24 months after issue.

Suite and source: http://www.rtlinfo.be/rtl/news/article/ ... hats+verts

Question: if it is easy to "classify" a meal for meal vouchers (although you can pay with restaurant vouchers in some stores now), I would like to know what distinguishes a "sustainable" product from another.

Example: a cheap 1er price bulb that cracks after 6 month is it sustainable?

[Christophe]

Here is a list of products payable by "ecocheques", for example:

This means that the customer can exchange these checks at Krëfel against the big electro devices in the following categories:
- AAA washers
- Fridges / Freezers / Fridge-freezer combination A + and A ++
- Class A dryers
- Rechargeable batteries and chargers

Dryers:

Source: https://www.econologie.info/share/partag ... pfRaSS.pdf

[Christophe]

A "critical analysis" on eco-vouchers in Belgium: http://www.medium4you.be/Eco-cheques-le ... eques.html

[Christophe]

Hey here I doubted about their correct use but in practice it's even worse! The ecocheques, we can use them for ALL and ANYTHING!

The fiasco of the ecocheques

More than 450.000 Belgians have already received in recent weeks 125 euros in the form of checks with which they can buy ecological and sustainable products. But in practice, they are used to buy anything.

More than 450.000 Belgians have already received in recent weeks 125 euros in the form of checks with which they can buy ecological and sustainable products. Suppliers, Accor and Sodexo, are barely able to respond to demand. In addition, the ecocheques often miss their goal, because sellers and consumers are not well informed, write this Thursday the Gazet van Antwerpen and Het Belang van Limburg.

The ecocheques were created this summer. It was a measure to fight the crisis by increasing the purchasing power of citizens, but by directing this purchasing power towards ecological goods and services. But if they are in theory intended for ecological products, these checks are, in practice, used for the purchase of everything and anything!

Checks are distributed once a year. This year, as they were calculated over the last six months of the year, they are worth 125 euros. Next year, they will be worth 250 euros. An evaluation will follow. So far, some 10 million checks have been distributed to about 500.000 workers. Normally, 1,2 million workers should receive it by the end of the year.

http://www.rtlinfo.be/info/economie/mon_argent/290962/

I confirm the info: the brico of the corner takes the ecocheques for any of their product!

I hope it's just a mistake of youth ... otherwise the ecomarketing will really, really, become anything ...

[Christophe]

It is confirmed ...

The ecocheque is diverted from its purpose (press)
Economy - My money 7: 45

Many stores ignore the list of products authorized in exchange for the ecocheque, accepting them for any purchase, ecological or not, announced Saturday the daily press.

At the end of last year, the workers received ecocheques for a maximum amount of 125 euros, born from an anti-crisis measure to stimulate purchases of ecological goods.

According to Christine Mattheeuws, president of the neutral union for the self-employed, the many traders have suggested that they no longer stick to the list of ecological products. "Sold is sold, they argue. And we can hardly prove them wrong," she commented. The Minister of Social Affairs, Laurette Onkelinx, intends, for her part, to enforce eco-checks and wants to organize checks during the year. (JDD)

http://www.rtlinfo.be/info/economie/mon ... n-objectif