I have noticed an increasing number of products, clothing in particular, no longer sport just a price tag but instead are now carry all manner of slightly to extremely pointless tags.

Recently on purchasing a pair of trousers I reached a new personal best in the "Check out these labels" contest.

On a pair of lightweight, black "walking trousers" (as opposed to hang gliding trousers?) I was met with 6 separate tags.

1. Price (in sterling and euros)

2. A "Confidence in Textiles" bi-lingual 'chitty' assuring me that my trousers have been tested for harmful substances. (Try 'em after a curry!) And this testing is to the Oeko-Tex standard 100. (Google it and prepare to be underwhelmed)

3. A maker's label telling me they were "walking trousers" in 17 different languages.

4. One proclaiming "BIONIC FINISH ECO" which promises to be "Learning from nature, developing for men. The ecological water-repellent impregnation - fluorine free". Apparently this bionic-finish-eco is Just like nature, whatever the hell that means.

5. Something telling me all about "Membralite Tex ACTIVE". This made a point of informing me about "Our Aspiration" which apparently is "High performance at the speed of life" amongst other things.

6. A large tag informing me all about Lycra brand SPORT. This ensured me, in strange English that "Fabric recovery and fit quality standards for performance and comfort"

All of these were dangling on those nasty little, punch-through plastic strings which seem to be fitted in such a way as to cause most damage to the weave of the fabric.

And what about a useful tag informing me as to the requirements for washing? That's printed in minuscule symbols on a tiny little cloth tag almost obscured within the waistband.

I swear the trouser lost half their weight when I snipped all the previously mentioned tags. And would most people read them? No, of course not. They will simply be consigned to the bin as mine will be one I've posted this blog.

Put simply who exactly are these tags aimed at and what exactly is their point?

It's just another pointless waste of resources in this supposedly eco-aware world.

You buy clothes because you like them; they look good; they fit well and not because of a plethora of meaningless paper and plastic label that some poor kid is being paid 1 rupee per 1000 to clip in.

Please, dear clothing manufacturing millionaires, stop smothering us under reams of unnecessary dross.