THE Ministry of Environment hopes the deferment of Fiji Minimum Energy Performance Standards and Labelling Requirements (MEPSL) for household refrigeration appliances will be worth the wait.
Environment director Epeli Nasome said the delay would continue to negatively impact on the environment but hoped the wait was worthwhile.
"We know these products have negative impacts on the environment but if the wait could result in a better way to manage the refrigeration appliances, then it is a good thing and we hope the wait would be worthwhile," he said.
He said they supported what the interim Finance Minister Mahendra Chaudhry intended to do. Cabinet deferred the adoption of MEPSL based on a submission from Mr Chaudhry.
Mr Chaudhry said the deferment would allow for the preparation of operational guidelines that detail how the standards would be administered, and the operational procedures to be undertaken for the successful implementation of the standards.
MEPSL are a set of procedures and numbers that define the energy performance of appliances/products.
It uses the energy consumption information to determine whether a product is suitable for sale in Fiji.
Mr Chaudhry said Mandatory Energy Labels (MEL) were the informative labels affixed to appliances in order to provide consumers with the information necessary for making informed purchases or choices.
