Parliament vote boosts EU green product rules, leaves out online sales

By Annita Elissaiou | EURACTIV.com

13-07-2023

News Based on facts, either observed and verified directly by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.

The Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation is an important step towards product sustainability, saving energy and making environmentally-conscious purchasing decisions. [Brigitte HASE]

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The European Parliament voted on Wednesday (12 July) to strengthen the EU’s draft Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR), but left out online sales from the scope of the regulation, to the disappointment of consumer groups and green advocates.

The regulation, initially tabled by the European Commission in March last year, introduces obligations on manufacturers to increase the lifespan of products, by making things like spare parts and software updates more easily available to consumers.

“It’s time to end the ‘take, make, dispose’ model which is so harmful to our planet, our health and our economy,” said Alessandra Moretti, Italian centre-left MEP who is the Parliament’s speaker on the proposal.

“This law will ensure that new products are designed in a way that brings benefits to everyone and which respects our planet’s boundaries and protects the environment,” added Moretti.

With the new regulation, consumers will be able to find extensive up-to-date information about the goods they buy via a ‘Digital Product Passport’, including information on repair and spare parts.

The draft law voted on by Parliament also prioritises sustainability requirements for high-impact products such as metals, textiles, furniture and detergents, and introduces a ban on the destruction of unsold textiles, electrical and electronic equipment.

“Today’s vote is a game changer, making longer lasting and energy-efficient products the new normal,” commented Monique Goyens, director general of the European Consumer Organisation. “The Parliament has heard consumers by taking a strong stance against design tricks that break products earlier than one can reasonably expect,” she said in a statement.

MEPs also strengthened the Commission’s proposal when it comes to enforcement and market surveillance. For products at high risk of non-compliance, the regulation asks for physical and laboratory checks, with EU member states responsible for providing the resources to carry them out.

Smartphones, clothes and furniture will have to become longer-lasting and easier to repair and recycle in order to gain access to the EU market under new sustainability rules proposed by the European Union on Wednesday (30 March).

However, EU lawmakers left online marketplaces unaccountable in case the products they sell do not comply with the ESPR rules.

“It waters down the European Commission’s efforts to boost marketplaces’ responsibility to comply with EU sustainability rules for the products they sell,” Goyens commented.

“This would open the door to non-compliant products reaching consumers. We call on negotiators from EU institutions and Member States to fix this loophole when finalising the law,” he said.

Those views were echoed by environmental groups. “It is regrettable 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,” said Jean-Pierre Schweitzer from the European Environmental Bureau, a green umbrella group.

EU member states adopted their position on the proposal in May during a meeting of the Environment Council. Now that both the Parliament and Council have adopted their stance, negotiations between the two can begin to finalise the regulation.

Digital product passports are becoming a central instrument to track the components and origin of raw materials used in all kinds of consumer goods.

[Edited by Frédéric Simon/Nathalie Weatherald]

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