Clothes on hangers – clothes-Photo by Artem Beliaikin on Unsplash
(STRASBOURG) – A European Parliament committee put forward proposals Thursday with the aim of making products in the EU more environmentally friendly, circular and energy efficient throughout their lifecycle.
The Environment Committee was adopting its position on a revision of the EU’s ecodesign framework for sustainable products, with the aim of making products last longer and be easier to repair, upgrade and recycle, and also banning the destruction of unsold textiles and electronic appliances.
The report bans premature obsolescence, which means that manufacturers must not limit the lifetime of a product through design features and must make available software updates, consumables, spare parts and accessories for an appropriate period. Products should also be easy to repair and consumers should have access to repair guidelines.
Products may only be sold if accompanied by a “product passport”, containing accurate and up to date information. This passport would enable consumers and businesses to make informed choices when purchasing products, facilitate repairs and recycling, and increase transparency about the environmental impact of what they are buying. MEPs want consumers to be able to compare product passports through an online platform.
A ban on the destruction of unsold products would mean that economic operators which destroy unsold goods would have to report the annual number and percentage of products they discarded as well as their reasons why. Based on this information, MEPs want the Commission to identify products for which a destruction ban should be introduced. Additionally, the report asks for a specific ban on the destruction of unsold textiles and footwear as well as electrical and electronic equipment, one year after the entry into force of the law.
Finally, MEPs want the Commission to prioritise a number of product groups in its first working plan to be adopted within three months after the entry into force of the new rules. These priority products include iron, steel, aluminium, textiles (notably garments and footwear), furniture, tyres, detergents, paints, lubricants and chemicals.
Further information, European Parliament
