The European Commission will impose stricter environmental requirements on the production of almost all products, excluding food and transportation. The new ecodesign regulation proposed by EU commissioners Timmermans (Green Deal), Breton (Internal Market), and Sinkevicius (Environment) aims to put an end to the throwaway economy.
The new framework law makes it possible to set binding minimum standards on the minimum lifespan of products and the possibilities for repairing them. Each year, around 2.5 billion tonnes of products end up in the waste heap in the European Union.
The Dutch Labour Party (PvdA) member Mohammed Chahim responds with hope. He is vice-chair of the ENVI environment committee in the European Parliament: “Not only do we need to consume differently, but above all, a sustainable world can be won on the production side.”
“We must consider the entire lifecycle of a product already during its design. Energy-efficient devices, car batteries that remain the property of the manufacturer, and the right to repair are no longer just future concepts but will soon become the norm.”
For example, washing machines with excessively high wattage will be banned in the European Union under this directive. The European Commission also proposes to make textiles and building materials more sustainable by making their production and raw material use more efficient.
Over a year ago, the European Parliament already called for a regulation to make new products sustainable, fully recyclable, and chemically safer, if necessary with binding import rules.
The proposals presented today will then be discussed by the European Parliament and EU countries. On 20 July, the Commission will present a second package of proposals for a circular economy, focusing on plastics and packaging. In the autumn, the Commission will introduce further rules intended to enshrine the right to repair.