Ehere are EU laws that only take effect years after they have been passed, but then with full force. The best example of this is the Ecodesign Directive. Many Europeans would probably never have noticed if the European Commission had not banned the classic lightbulb by resorting to the law. The law allows the Commission to set minimum energy consumption requirements for appliances such as televisions, vacuum cleaners and dishwashers. She makes plenty of use of it to promote the energy transition on a small scale. In this way, the EU is already saving energy equivalent to what Poland consumes, she emphasizes.
Last year, the EU Commission proposed extending the ecodesign rules to almost all goods. Only food, feed and medicines as well as vehicles are left out. She wants to consistently trim the affected products for sustainability. The aim is not only minimum requirements for energy and resource consumption, but also for other sustainability criteria from repairability and durability to the proportion of recycled primary products and CO2-Footprint. The Council of Ministers of the EU states agreed to this goal back in May. The European Parliament wants to follow suit this Wednesday. A sufficient majority is considered secure.
“Sustainability is thus becoming the norm in the internal market,” stresses MEP Anna Cavazzini from the Greens. In the future, consumers can be sure that their t-shirts, sofas or detergents meet minimum criteria to protect the climate, environment and resources. Circular economy becomes a reality in the EU through specifications adapted to the respective product for durability, the proportion of recyclates and energy efficiency. “Waste becomes a design flaw.” With its decision, the European Parliament is asking the Commission to start with what it considers to be the most critical products. This includes steel and aluminum, textiles and furniture, tires and information technology. The EU Commission had already given fast fashion priority when presenting the proposal.
Repair scale and digital product passport
The EU ecodesign rules do not oblige the Commission to actually make specifications for all products. Industry can also avoid these by making voluntary commitments. However, Parliament wants to keep this to a minimum. In principle, the Council of Ministers and the European Parliament can block the EU Commission’s proposals for the minimum requirements. But this is not possible with a simple majority.
Parliament is also calling for the introduction of a product pass and a repair scale. The digital product pass should make it possible to call up information about the product and requirements using a QR code, for example. The repair scale is intended to indicate how easily a product can be repaired. The decision also stipulates that manufacturers must not limit the repairability of products by preventing the disassembly of key components or restricting access to repair information and spare parts to authorized repairers.
Parliament also responded to criticism of the practice of companies such as Amazon of destroying returned new goods. Initially, the commission only wanted to oblige companies to provide information on how many products they destroy. The Council of Ministers asked the Commission to present a proposal for a ban on the destruction of unsold textiles. The German and French governments were the first to push for this.
Built-in expiry date should be banned
The European Parliament goes even further. It is asking the Commission to propose proposals for a ban on the destruction of unsold textiles, shoes and electronics, a year after the new rules come into force. Bans on other product groups are to follow after two years. This finally puts a stop to a huge waste of resources, says SPD MEP Delara Burkhardt.
A new definition of “premature wear” has also been introduced. These are products that are presumably designed by the manufacturers in such a way that their lifespan is limited. The European Parliament simply wants to prohibit something like this with the law. This also includes that manufacturers no longer provide spare parts or software updates within a “reasonable period of time”. “There is a system to this practice: companies often limit the service life of their products, so that you are forced to buy a new device at an early stage,” emphasizes Burkhardt. This is not only “resource madness”, but also means that companies earn a fortune at the expense of consumers.
After the vote, the European Parliament still has to agree on a common position with the Council of Ministers. Only then can the new ecodesign rules come into force.
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