In future, products placed on the market in the EU economic area will have to meet minimum requirements in terms of energy efficiency. The Ecodesign for Sustainable Product Regulation (ESPR)19 aims to reduce the negative environmental impact of certain products over their entire life cycle. Manufacturers of these products must ensure that they comply with the relevant regulations before placing them on the market. These regulations currently cover energy-using products such as household and electrical appliances, heating and air conditioning systems, computers, lighting, etc.
The ESPR is a European Commission proposal that replaces and extends the existing Ecodesign Directive 2009/125/EC20.
The existing Ecodesign Directive only applied to energy-related products, whereas the ESPR covers almost all types of products available on the EU market. It lays down minimum requirements for the eco-design of energy-related products and helps to reduce the energy consumption and environmental impact of these products. It prescribes minimum standards for energy efficiency, recyclability and other ecological criteria. All products placed on the market in the EU are affected. As a certificate of conformity, the regulation requires the use of the CE marking for all products.
The existing Ecodesign Directive therefore promotes sustainability and circularity in the construction and real estate industry by:
- requires the use of renewable or recycled materials and the reuse or recycling of products at the end of their life.
- reduces the costs and energy consumption for the manufacture, operation and maintenance of construction products by promoting the use of energy-efficient and low-carbon technologies.
- improves the quality, performance and safety of construction products by defining uniform requirements and test methods and increasing transparency and awareness of the energy performance of products.
The new ecodesign requirements of the ESPR will be tailored to the specific characteristics of the product groups concerned. Their definition and development will increase resource and energy efficiency, extend product lifetime, increase the value of materials, reduce pollution and take into account the impact of products on the climate and the environment in general. Ecodesign requirements shall include, as appropriate for the product categories to be regulated, the following:
- Durability, reliability, reusability, retrofittability, reparability, easy maintenance and refurbishment;
- Restrictions on substances that impair the recyclability of products and materials;
- energy consumption or energy efficiency;
- Resource utilization or resource efficiency;
- Minimum recycled content;
- easy disassembly and reprocessing as well as simple recycling;
- environmental impact over the entire life cycle, including their carbon footprint and environmental footprint;
- Avoidance and reduction of waste, including packaging waste.
The Digital Product Passport (DPP), see section 10.5, is one of the most important measures provided for in the ESPR. The DPP is intended to provide information on the environmental sustainability of products. The information will be easily accessible by scanning a data carrier. The DPP should contain attributes such as the durability, reparability, recycled content or availability of spare parts for a product.
19 europa.eu: Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation
20 Ecodesign Directive 2009/125/EC
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