The European Union has an environmental policy with a proven track record of success – ecodesign. This policy currently applies only to so-called energy-related products, around 20 product groups ranging from computers through to fridges and TVs.  For years now, we have been asking policymakers to apply its principles to all types of products on the EU market, prioritising those with the highest environmental impact, and deliver equally encouraging results. Sustainable products should be the norm. In 2020, the EU finally announced it intends to use ecodesign to cover more sectors, which have so far escaped dedicated environmental laws, such as construction, furniture and textiles.

In 2020, ecodesign was acknowledged by the European Commission as a fundamental piece in their new Circular Economy Action Plan (CEAP) – one of the main tools in the EU’s quest to become the first climate-neutral continent. This announcement was the culmination of years of our advocacy and awareness-raising on the huge potential of ecodesign.

Sustainable products for a circular economy – yes, please!

As part of CEAP, the Commission will launch a sustainable product legislative initiative, whose main goal will be to broaden the Ecodesign Directive. With this tool, the European Union will define the environmental criteria that every product placed on the 450-million-people EU market will need to comply with. Requirements may include energy performance, but also requirements for durability, repairability and the presence of hazardous chemicals or the percentage of recycled content in products.

To achieve a truly circular economy that respects planetary boundaries, we need to make sure that all the worst performing products – not only in terms of energy – are gradually excluded from the market, by designing out the harmful environmental impacts.

We have long campaigned for the ecodesign principles to apply to more products, such as plastics, textiles or furniture. Our annual events in 2019 and 2020 showed innovative ways of how ecodesign could be useful in making plastic less polluting and reducing the impacts of construction products.

Our calls have also been heard by other NGOs. We have explained the ‘ecodesign’ concept and raised awareness about it among green advocates not only in Brussels but also at national level, through the vibrant Coolproducts campaign, which we co-lead. As a result, other campaigners have included our ideas in their messages, maximising our impact.

A proposal for a sustainable products legislation is expected by winter 2021. We will keep working to make sure new ecodesign rules are robust enough to make sustainable products the norm and effectively take us closer to a circular economic model.