MEPs approved plans to force manufacturers to reduce the amount of energy consumed by domestic fridges and freezers…

Date: 20/06/1996

...by 15&percent; over the next five years. They also asked the Commission to consider proposing tougher energy efficiency standards once the legislation had been in force for four years. Appliances which fail to meet this criteria will have to be taken off the market. The new rules are designed to help bring CO2 emissions back to 1990 levels by 2000.