European Parliament takes a significant stride towards establishing sustainable products as the standard
In a promising development for consumers, members of the European Parliament have taken a significant step towards establishing sustainable products as the standard. Today’s plenary vote marks the finalization of the Parliament’s stance on the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR), following a robust report from the Parliament’s environment committee in June.
The ESPR stands as a pivotal achievement within Green Deal legislation and is poised to become a cornerstone of Europe’s product policy. It is set to replace the existing Ecodesign Directive, which has been one of the EU’s most impactful climate policies thus far. Not only does it substantially contribute to energy savings and reduce consumer electricity bills, but it also generates employment opportunities and enhances product reparability. Moreover, it promotes fair competition within the industry.
The proposal endorsed today expands the scope of ecodesign beyond energy-related products to encompass a wide range of goods, including textiles, toys, furniture, and intermediary materials like steel. Additionally, it introduces innovative policy options such as the implementation of a product passport.
The EEB praises the Parliament’s vote today which confirmed a number of improvements on the Commission’s original proposal. Key additions made by the Parliament include:
- Identifying high impact product groups to be prioritised in secondary legislation
- Strengthening the approach for tracking and restricting substances of concern found in products
- Introducing an outright ban on the destruction of unsold electronics and textiles
- Providing clearer measures to support a right to repair products and prevent early obsolescence
Parliament lack of oversight of non-compliant imports draws criticism
Advocates and industry stakeholders have expressed disappointment over the European Parliament’s failure to address concerns regarding non-compliant products entering the European market through online channels. Despite calls for action, Parliament’s response has been perceived as inadequate, particularly in terms of holding online marketplaces accountable. This has raised concerns about the continued influx of unsustainable products flooding the market.
Online platforms and retailers outside the EU often sell goods that fail to meet European sustainability and safety standards, presenting a significant regulatory challenge. Critics also lamented Parliament’s decision, which leaves room for weak voluntary measures to replace robust legal requirements. Additionally, social sustainability and due diligence measures remain absent from the Parliament’s agenda, further exacerbating worries about the integrity of imported products.
Jean-Pierre Schweitzer, Policy Manager for Circular Economy at the EEB said:
On an important day for environmental policy making, the European Parliament’s vote on ecodesign introduces a much needed toolkit to drastically reduce the impact of our everyday products. Building on the success of ecodesign and energy labeling the new regulation should save emissions and consumer expenditure. It is regrettable, however, that lawmakers continue to ignore the risk of non-compliant products entering the market from online sales – creating unfair competition for European industry and undermining the effectiveness of future requirements.
The Commission’s proposal on ESPR was published in March 2022. In May 2023 the European Council agreed upon a general approach. Now that the three institutions have defined their positions the legislation will be finalised in trilogues. Trilogues are hoped to commence quickly under the Spanish presidency.
