Green product proposals fall short of potential

New laws proposed by the European Commission to create greener products need serious strengthening if they are to help tackle climate change and biodiversity loss, says Friends of the Earth Europe.

The environmental organisation today welcomed the belated publication of the Sustainable Consumption and Production action plan, but is calling on the European Parliament and national governments to improve the plans which are extremely weak, having been watered down by in-fighting within the Commission.

Dr Michael Warhurst, of Friends of the Earth Europe's resources and waste campaign, said today: "Everyone now realises that we are consuming the Earth's resources unsustainably, with devastating impacts on our climate and on biodiversity. We are happy that the Commission has finally published these proposals, but it is essential that they be widened to properly address the environmental impacts of all products, not just focus on energy-related products."

An important part of the package is a revision of the current law regulating 'energy-using' products (e.g. the recent proposal to restrict energy consumption of products on stand-by) to widen the types of products that can be regulated. Early texts proposed to address all products, but EU energy and industry commissioners Andris Piebalgs and Günter Verheugen have succeeded in narrowing the scope of the proposal to only 'energy related' products. This means, for example, that products with major
environmental impacts such as paper, packaging or furniture are not included.

Dr Warhurst added: "We have to start addressing the damage our consumption is doing to the biodiversity of our planet - ecodesign rules covering all products could be a key tool in this work. MEPs, governments and everyone who is concerned about the global environment must now work together to strengthen these proposals."

Friends of the Earth Europe is also concerned about a number of other aspects of the package, in particular its focus on voluntary measures.

"EU governments have spent decades negotiating voluntary agreements with industry on the environmental performance of products, with few concrete results. Regulatory and fiscal measures create a level playing field and are a proven method of making products greener – they should be the focus of the EU's sustainable consumption and production policy," said Dr Warhurst.

Friends of the Earth Europe campaigns for sustainable and just societies and for the protection of the environment, unites more than 30 national organisations with thousands of local groups and is part of the world's largest grassroots environmental network, Friends of the Earth International.