Ecodesign – What sounds like a trend from the creative industry is actually an EU directive that is currently in force and that is soon to be massively expanded. The European Union wants to introduce extensive minimum standards with a regulation – i.e. a binding legal act that all EU countries must implement in full – in order to give almost all products on the EU market a green coat of paint. The aim is to make products more sustainable, durable and environmentally friendly.
In June 2023, MEPs on the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety adopted the report setting out Parliament’s position for negotiations with EU governments on the legislation. Parliament is expected to give the green light to the regulation in plenary session this Wednesday.
Extension of the directive by regulation
The Ecodesign Directive currently applies. As a reminder, a directive is a legal act that sets out a goal to be achieved by all EU countries. However, it is up to individual countries to adopt their own legislation to achieve this goal.
Nevertheless, manufacturers in the EU already have to comply with eco-design regulations for energy-related products such as heaters, refrigerators, vacuum cleaners or computers in order to reduce negative environmental impacts as early as the design phase.
The EU is now planning to go a step further and introduce regulations for almost all products on its market, because in March 2022 the European Commission proposed a new ecodesign regulation that would significantly expand the scope of the regulation.
“If we want to bring truly sustainable European products onto the market, we have to tackle the issue from the start: in design. The Ecodesign Regulation will ensure that products sold on the EU market are suitable and ready for the green transition,” says Ebba Busch, Swedish Minister for Energy, Economy and Industry and Deputy Prime Minister.
Ecodesign: Consider all environmental aspects
Basically, eco-design means the conscious integration of environmental aspects into the entire product development process in order to produce goods with a reduced environmental impact. The whole thing is, of course, part of a circular economy package that also includes an EU strategy for sustainable textiles and a proposal to empower consumers for the green transition.
Product durability, repairability, recycling and carbon footprint
The current Ecodesign Directive has already set energy efficiency requirements for specific product groups, which has resulted in significant energy savings. On the one hand, the new proposal is intended to extend the requirements to most product categories and, on the other hand, to take into account additional aspects such as product durability, reusability, repairability, energy and resource efficiency, recycling and carbon footprint.
Digital product passport, environmental vouchers and eco-tax
A digital product passport will also be introduced, providing consumers with information on performance, traceability, environmental impact and instructions for repair or recycling.
The new regulations are also intended to stop the destruction of unsold products, promote green public procurement and create incentives such as green vouchers or green taxes to support the purchase of green products.
Parliament makes demands
The European Parliament is said to support the proposal, but also calls for a ban on premature obsolescence and a prioritization of ecodesign requirements for certain products such as iron, steel, aluminium, textiles, furniture, tyres, detergents and chemicals. There are also said to be loud calls for the establishment of a public digital platform for comparing information from the product passports.
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