ETRC and TFWA announce cooperation on Digital Labelling Platform

The European Travel Retail Confederation (ETRC) and Tax Free World Association (TFWA) are pleased to announce their cooperation to launch the second phase of the Digital Labelling Platform in Duty Free and Travel Retail.

The one-year project, co-funded by ETRC and TFWA, will kick off in February with the objective to build a fully functional platform with 18 suppliers across the Perfumes & Cosmetics, Alcohol and Confectionery categories. In practice, travellers will have access to product information in multiple languages by scanning a barcode using a smartphone or in- store scanners. In-store tests will be conducted towards the end of 2020 to collect consumer feedback and respond to policy-makers’ request to have this tested in a live environment.

The project will support ETRC’s continued efforts to secure digital labelling as a legal way to provide information to consumers in Travel Retail. It is particularly timely as the European Commission is currently consulting on the possibility of labelling additional fragrance allergens in cosmetic products, while recently giving the green light to a voluntary digital labelling scheme to provide the list of ingredients on spirits products sold in the EU.

Nigel Keal, President of ETRC said: “We are very grateful for the special contribution of TFWA to make this project possible. This year will be critical in securing the acceptance from regulators for such a solution, by demonstrating it provides the necessary information in a user-friendly format. We will work closely with the new European Commission and Parliament in that respect to show that our solution can meet both the requirements of the regulators and the specificities of our unique consumer, the international traveller.”

Alain Maingreaud, President of TFWA commented: “It is TFWA’s mission to support industry projects that can benefit brands operating in duty free and travel retail and which can also have a positive impact on the sustainability of the channel as a whole. ETRC has led this initiative for several years with very promising results and we are delighted that our contribution will help take this project to the next level”.