EU court backs Dyson on vacuum cleaner energy tests
An EU court ruled Thursday that Brussels regulators are wrong to test the energy efficiency of vacuum cleaners using empty dust bags, in a victory for British manufacturer Dyson.
Household vacuums sold in Europe must carry energy labelling to allow consumers to judge which models are more efficient and thus cheaper to run and less damaging to the environment.
But Dyson, which makes cleaners with without bags, argues that tests carried out on its competitors' products do not take into account the extra energy they need to operate with full dust receptacles.
On Thursday, the General Court of the European Union, the bloc's second-highest court, agreed with the British firm and annulled the European Commission's regulation on the testing of vacuum cleaners.
In its ruling, the court found the commission had "disregarded an essential element" of its own directive on providing European consumers with scientifically accurate information.
Dyson is owned by inventor and entrepreneur James Dyson, whose pioneering appliances are hailed as a British industrial success story and who is aiming to break into the electric car market.
Dyson brought the complaint about EU regulations to the ECJ even though its billionaire founder is a high-profile supporter of Brexit, his country's planned departure from the European Union.
© 2018 AFP
