Ecodesign of products throughout the European Union will soon be law and two years from now the ban on destruction of unsold textiles and footwear will be binding on all Member States.
- The European Council on Monday adopted the ecodesign regulation, which sets requirements for sustainable products. It replaces the existing ecodesign directive and enlarges its scope, beyond energy products, to all kind of goods placed in the EU market.
- This was the last step in the decision-making procedure, and for all practical purposes the legislative act has been adopted.
- The Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) is one of the flagship initiatives of the Green Deal and Europe’s circular economy objectives.
- After being signed by the President of the European Parliament and the President of the Council, the regulation will be published in the Official Journal of the European Union and will enter into force on the 20th day following that of its publication. It will apply 24 months after the entry into force.
GREEN REQUIREMENTS: The regulation affects all kinds of products, with only a few exceptions (i.e. cars or defence and security related products).
- The new regulation introduces new requirements such as product durability, reusability, upgradability and reparability, rules on the presence of substances that inhibit circularity; energy and resource efficiency; recycled content, remanufacturing and recycling; carbon and environmental footprints; and information requirements, including a Digital Product Passport.
- The Commission will be empowered to set ecodesign requirements by delegated acts and industry will have 18 months to comply with them.
- Ecodesign criteria will be applicable in public procurement to incentivise the public purchase of green products.
- The new regulation introduces a direct ban on the destruction of unsold textiles and footwear (SMEs will be temporarily excluded) and empowers the Commission to introduce similar bans for other products in the future.
- The ecodesign regulation will be aligned to the digital services act, when it comes to products sold online.
BACKGROUND: The current Ecodesign Directive 2009/125/EC established energy efficiency requirements covering 31 product groups. According to the Commission’s calculations, this has saved €120 billion in energy expenditure and led to a 10% lower annual energy consumption by the products covered within its scope.
- The new regulation was proposed by the Commission on 30 March 2022. The Council adopted its general approach on 23 May 2023, and reached a provisional agreement with the Parliament on 4 December 2023.
