Brussels, 23/03/2015 (Agence Europe) - Given that the European Union would like to give the circular economy some substance, it would be well advised to make better use of the European “eco-design” directive, one of the best tools available to it, according to a report published on Monday 23 March by the European Environment Bureau (EEB).
This report, Delivering Resource Efficient Products - How Ecodesign Can Drive a Circular Economy in Europe, explains that this legislation (which sets out energy consumption requirements for electric and electronic products) has already enabled the EU to make substantial energy savings and for the consumer to save hundreds of euro every year on their energy bills. It may also help to benefit both enterprise and consumers, if it manages to set out requirements on resource efficiency.
The report demonstrates that providing a range of simple design options that are already available for extending the life of laptops, printers and washing machines in the EU, could help save more than 1,000,000 t of greenhouse gas emissions a year, which is the equivalent of taking 477,000 cars off the roads every year.
To enable the eco-design directive to make resource savings, it will be necessary to identify design requirements that would encourage the manufacture of products with greater durability and which are easier to repair; guarantee that the materials selected in the products are carefully managed from production to end of cycle (including options to use high shares of recycled content and support their high quality recyclability); - removing problematic or hazardous substances that undermine the recycling of product component parts or materials.
After having proceeded to the withdrawal of its draft revision of the waste directives, the only legislative instrument in its “circular economy” package, the Commission is committed to presenting, before the end of the year, an improved proposal on the circular economy, which will apply not just to waste but also to product design and the promotion of sustainable products (see EUROPE 11270 and 11261).
Carsten Wachholz from the EEB said that this report paves the way to making these goals a reality, “Europe is import dependent for many of the critical materials that are used in consumer products. So it makes sense to find ways to reduce the use of these materials and keep them in circulation for as long as possible. The Eco-Design Directive, coupled with strong waste management policies, can help deliver that and make Europe more resource efficient”.
According to the EEB, recovering, reusing and recycling precious metals from products covered by the “eco-design” directive and increasing resource productivity in the EU, could create millions of new jobs by 2030, as well as encourage innovation and mitigate the negative impact from future price increases in raw materials for European industry. The report argues that getting producers to provide information about materials contained in a product would help to repair them, highlight them and submit them to an appropriate end of cycle treatment that would stimulate the development of a circular economy in Europe. This information could be provided with the product in question when it is produced or made easily accessible in a standard format, to help downstream users such as repair services, centres specialising in reusing products and recycling companies. (Aminata Niang)