By Thea Pieridou
Press Officer at the European Parliament Office in Cyprus
Long-lasting, safe and recyclable products that are less harmful to the environment should become the norm in the EU. But how? The answer may lie in new eco-design rules.
What is eco-design?
Eco-design means incorporating environmental considerations into the creation of products that will have the lowest possible environmental impact throughout their life cycle. EU manufacturers already have to align with eco-design rules for energy-related products such as heaters, refrigerators, vacuum cleaners or computers, reducing energy consumption and negative environmental impacts at the design stage. The EU now wants to do more and introduce eco-design standards and rules for almost every product.
A Digital Product Passport should accompany products, providing consumers with all the relevant information they need to help them make informed decisions.
Digital Product Passport
• providing information on performance, traceability, technical documentation, harmful chemicals, user manuals, etc.
• providing information about the environmental impact of the market
• facilitating the repair or recycling of products
Parliament's position on eco-design rules
MEPs also want:
- to prohibit manufacturers from limiting the durability of products and making them prematurely obsolete
- to give priority to eco-design requirements for certain products (iron, steel, aluminum, textiles, furniture, tires, detergents, paints, chemicals...)
- prohibit the destruction of unsold textile products and footwear, as well as electrical and electronic equipment
- the creation of a public online platform for comparing information from product passports.
Next steps
Parliament approved its negotiating position in July 2023 and at the end of August already started talks on the legislation with EU governments.
