Retailers and wholesalers
Your legal responsibilities
If you wholesale or retail clothes washers, dishwashers, toilet equipment, urinals, tapware, showers or flow controllers, you have responsibilities under the WELS Scheme. This includes selling products through shops, showrooms and warehouses, by auction, mail order, over the internet and by providing products as part of selling new buildings or plumbing services.
Retailers and wholesalers are responsible for point of supply labelling and must ensure that:
- labels or water rating information are properly attached to the product at point of supply
- labels or water rating information remain fully visible on products while they are offered for sale and
- advertising and promotional materials display the WELS information for products.
The WELS Standard
The WELS Standard sets out labelling specifications including requirements for packaging, swing tags and product displays, publicity and product specification paperwork. A copy of the standard can be purchased from Standards Australia.
Labelling
All labels have required minimum dimensions.
Whitegoods
The label needs to be fixed (e.g. glued) to the upper front portion of dishwashers or clothes washers.
If fixing the label directly on the machine will damage the finish (e.g. permanently mark or stain finishes such stainless steel) the label can be attached to the machine by a doubled-sided swing tag or single-sided non-rotating swing tag.
Plumbing and sanitary ware
For products displayed for sale in packaging
The label needs to be fixed (e.g. glued) to packaging so that it is clearly visible on the front portion of the package when it is hung from a rack or placed on a shelf.
For products displayed for sale outside of their packaging
There are four options:
- the correctly-sized label fixed to the product itself or
- a swing tag showing the correctly-sized label on both sides securely attached to the product or
- a correctly-sized label fixed next to the product so it is obvious that the product and the label are linked or
- a tag (e.g price tag) fixed next to the product showing WELS star rating and the water consumption figure (e.g. WELS 3 Star, 9L/min) so long as there is a clear and obvious connection between the tag and the product.
When a product is sold after being selected from the above forms of unpackaged display items, the product must be provided labelled.
Advertising and promotions
The WELS legislation requires that the WELS label (or label text information) must be:
- prominent when WELS products are displayed, promoted, marketed, sold or supplied at any point in the supply chain and
- included on any product specification, brochure, advertising, magazine, catalogue and website where a registered product is profiled.
Free text information
As an alternative to using the WELS label in promotional activities, free text may be used to describe a product's water efficiency star rating and the associated water consumption figure (e.g. WELS 3 Star, 9L/min).
Label and free text size
While the size of labels and free text may be scaled to fit the promotional medium, the label information must remain readable with normal or corrected vision. Annex B of the WELS Standard sets out colour and size specifications for labels. See sample WELS labels.
Showrooms
The promotional requirements above apply to all showrooms displaying WELS products for supply or sale, including trade and architectural displays, display homes, display units and including building developments.
Selling over the internet
The labelling requirements for WELS products still apply if products are being provided or sold over the internet.
Rebates
Rebates may be offered on some WELS rated products.
Ask your local water authority or government if they offer rebates for people buying water-efficient appliances. Alternatively, you can go to 'Water Rebates' at smartwatermark.info to find your local water authority or council for rebate information or to the greenplumbers website.
Did you know that combination washer/dryer machines may use water to dry loads? Presently, the WELS Scheme only rates the water used in the washing function and not the water consumed in the drying function.
State, territory and local government authorities have been advised that the offer of rebates on combined washer-dryers should be carefully considered.
AAAAA water rating scheme
The WELS label has replaced the voluntary water conservation rating 'AAAAA' label endorsed by the Water Services Association of Australia.
Second-hand products
The WELS Scheme excludes second-hand products and products imported into Australia for personal use.
Retail education
The retail education page provides useful hints to help retailers talk to customers about WELS and to help them legally stock, display and advertise WELS products.
Enforcement
Under the WELS Act, penalties apply for:
- failing to meet registration and labelling requirements
- failing to meet minimum efficiency and performance requirements and
- misusing WELS standards and information.
If you are not sure that you are complying with the Act, contact WELS at wels@environment.gov.au.
WELS inspectors with significant monitoring and investigation powers are in the field checking that manufacturers, suppliers and retailers are complying with the WELS Act.
Strong enforcement powers under the WELS Act include the ability to:
- impose significant fines
- compel the withdrawal of a product or products from supply
- deregister product/s and
- advertise convictions.
For more information about enforcement go to Frequently Asked Questions - How is the scheme being enforced?
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