Euro Topten Plus

Topten is a consumer-oriented online search tool providing in currently 15 countries via the entry portal www.topten.info information on efficient products and services in various product categories. The key criteria are energy efficiency, impact on the environment, health and quality. The online platform aims at supporting purchase decisions towards energy efficient devices and facilitating consumers to contribute to the reduction of climate change impacts. Topten concentrates on the technical aspects of devices.
Topten information primarily addresses end users (pictures, functions, price, simple calculations, local availability) but is also a powerful instrument to influence manufacturers.
Topten is rigorous and transparent (the selection methodology is explained online), independent from producers and commercial distributors. Topten relies on neutral tests and analysis of independent institutions, labels and on standardised declarations of manufacturers (e.g. EU-directives for household appliances).
Thanks to its growth, it can now consolidate its political impact by establishing "Best of Europe".
This concept identifies the most energy efficient products in Europe, stating countries where they are marketed. It makes explicit and transparent the status quo of efficient technologies on the European market and can thus serve as the European reference on energy efficiency to further negotiate with government and manufacturers.
Thanks to professional dissemination activities, this Topten reference will be used as a basis for environmental policy design, labelling strategies, dissemination programmes, minimal efficiency requirements and specifications for multinational buyers.
"Best of Europe" and the Topten International Group association offer the opportunity to coordinate a common understanding and empower decision makers to launch new initiatives promoting efficient products. The main task of the Wuppertal Institute is to evaluate the further development and success of the European Topten websites in the field of public relation.