In order to support ecodesign provisions for material efficiency, methods for the assessment and measurement of relevant aspects such as product durability, reparability and recyclability have been developed by European standardisation organisations. ECOS continues to play a key role in discussions about the applicability and future development of these standards, as well as in the development of related product-specific metrics.
An improved standard to measure aspects such as energy efficiency of washing machines is expected to be published in early 2021.
The current CEN-CENELEC work on methods to measure the performance of robot and cordless vacuum cleaners shows progress, which is why ECOS gave it a favourable opinion. Nonetheless, we expect further improvements as the standards are not yet good enough to prevent future potential abuse.
The much awaited standard EN 45554 for the assessment of repairability, reusability and upgradeability (RRU) of ecodesign products has finally been published. A major step towards better design and waste reduction, its methodology identifies criteria to determine how easy it is to repair, reuse or upgrade products ranging from household appliances to consumer electronics.
The high-profile project for the development of generic assessment methods for Ecodesign material efficiency aspects (M/543) underwent its Secretarial Enquiry stage last autumn.
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