About the new Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation
On 11 March 2020 the European Commission adopted the new circular economy action plan (CEAP) as one of the main building blocks of the European Green Deal – Europe’s new agenda for sustainable growth. Two years later 30 March 2022, four packages of measures proposed in the CEAP were adopted, including the Sustainable Products Initiative (SPI). Part of the SPI is the proposal for a new Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) . The ESPR is the cornerstone of the Commission’s approach to more environmentally sustainable and circular products and the flagship initiative of the Commission’s product policy. One of its key features is that it extends the scope of the previous Ecodesign Directive in two directions:
- Extension of product scope to include also non-energy related products, such as textiles and packaging;
- Extension of requirements to focus more on requirements beyond energy consumption upon use, such as:
- product durability, reusability, upgradability and reparability;
- presence of substances that inhibit circularity;
- energy and resource efficiency;
- recycled content;
- remanufacturing and recycling;
- carbon and environmental footprints;
- information requirements, including a Digital Product Passport, which will be the norm for all products regulated under the ESPR.
The Council and the Parliament have recently reached a provisional political agreement on the proposed regulation establishing a framework for setting ecodesign requirements for sustainable products. The latest draft of the ESPR has been published on 19th December 2023. The plenary vote of the EU Parliament is envisaged for February 2024, with the adoption of the ESPR expected still in the first half of 2024.
Ecodesign and Energy Labelling Working Plan 2022-2024
The Ecodesign and Energy Labelling Working Plan 2022-2024 is a key part of the EU’s energy efficiency and wider ‘European Green Deal’ objectives, including the Circular Economy agenda. It was adopted by the Commission on 30 March 2022 and builds on the work carried out since the adoption of the first Ecodesign Directive. It also covers the work required under the Energy Labelling Framework Regulation (EU/2017/1369) and takes into account the progress made with the European Product Registry for Energy Labelling (EPREL). The plan focuses on the ecodesign of energy-related products and lays out the priorities and planning for future regulation.
The plan strengthens the focus on the circularity aspects of ecodesign, following the example set in the previous Working Plan. It sets harmonised rules for ‘energy-related products’ on aspects such as energy consumption, water consumption, emission levels, and material efficiency. These rules stimulate both demand for and supply of more sustainable products while reducing energy consumption significantly.
Together with the 2022-2024 Working Plan, the proposal of the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) was published in March 2022. The ESPR Regulation builds on the previously existing Ecodesign Directive, expanding the ecodesign requirements for specific product groups as it enables the setting of performance and information requirements for almost all categories of physical goods placed on the EU market. The framework will allow for the setting of a wide range of requirements as specified in the bullets above.
- product durability, reusability, upgradability and reparability
- presence of substances that inhibit circularity
- energy and resource efficiency
- recycled content
- remanufacturing and recycling
- carbon and environmental footprints
- information requirements, including a Digital Product Passport
Ecodesign preparatory Study for industrial and professional (i.e. commercial) Laundry Appliances
With the ESPR Regulation, the European Commission is preparing for the addressing of specific measures for commercial and industrial laundry appliances by means of delegated act. The preparatory study is the first step towards the development of a ESPR Delegated Act for this product group.