Biodiesel and Ethanol Labelling
52. The PPSR require that the dispensing pump or container of petrol and diesel being sold by retail sale must be clearly marked. In addition, if petrol is blended with ethanol for retail sale the dispensing pump or container must display the words "contains ethanol". The PPSR does not specify labelling requirements for petrol and diesel for non-retail sale.
53. Cabinet has agreed (CAB Min (07) 4/2 refers) that diesel/biodiesel blends of up to 5% by volume do not require additional labelling, recognising that this fuel is essentially the same as petroleum diesel. As such the PPSR will not include specific labelling requirements for retail diesel/biodiesel blends.
54. Cabinet has also agreed that petrol/ethanol blends with more than 1% ethanol must be labelled. The recommended labelling requirements for retail containers or pumps dispensing petrol/ethanol blends of more than 1% ethanol by volume is as follows:
- The maximum percentage of ethanol by volume must be clearly displayed; and
- The words "May not be suitable for all vehicles/engines. Check with the manufacturer before use" must be displayed.
55. No specific labelling requirements are proposed for non-retail petrol/ethanol blends, nor for non-retail diesel/biodiesel blends.
56. Submitters generally agreed that retail petrol/ethanol blends should be labelled but there were some divergent views on the appropriate wording. Gull is particularly against the proposed wording above ("may not be suitable…") as they consider that this will undermine consumer confidence in the fuel and that it should only be required if it is proven that a significant proportion of the vehicle fleet is unsuitable for petrol/ethanol blends. However, it is considered necessary to take a cautious approach with labelling to reduce the risk of unsuitable use of petrol/ethanol blends leading to vehicle operability problems, which could significantly affect public confidence in biofuels.
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