The Commission has submitted the Roadmap for feedback within 4 weeks. After this period, a dedicated meeting of the Consultation Forum will be organized to discuss the preparation of the Working Plan. It is expected that the Working Plan could be published as a Communication in the third quarter of 2021.
Of the possible new items listed two may be relevant to Eurovent: swimming pool heaters and industrial sensors. Relevant to all members will be horizontal measures relating to lightweight design, recycled content, ecological profile, durability, firmware and software, scarce and critical raw materials. While looking at the Working Plan, the consultation on the Sustainable Products Initiative should be kept in mind.
Roadmap
The 3-page Roadmap outlines the objectives:
- The conclusions reached in the previous working plan, in particular the rescaling of existing energy labels, and other reviews and potential revisions of current Ecodesign and labeling regulations.
- Currently, unregulated product groups of interest could potentially be regulated in the next years.
- Additional environmental and circular economy aspects such as pollutant emissions, durability, reparability, recyclability, and other aspects of material efficiency and ecological profile of products.
- Enforcement by market surveillance authorities and further development/implementation of the European Product Registry for Energy Labelling (EPREL).
Product and horizontal/crosscutting measures
During the stakeholder meeting held on 26 March, the consultants did not explain the methodology used to select new products out of 160 product groups. No clear response was given as to why cooling towers and air curtains are not included, except that the energy-saving potential was limited.
Sustainable Products Initiative (SPI)
The core of the SPI will be to widen the scope of the Ecodesign Directive beyond energy-related products It is useful to keep in mind the consultation on the SPI that aims to make products fit for a climate-neutral, resource-efficient, and circular economy, reduce waste, and make sustainability principles a norm.
As announced in the new Circular Economy Action Plan (CEAP) the core of the SPI will be to widen the scope of the Ecodesign Directive beyond energy-related products and may even include including services. Besides widening the scope, the proposal would also address harmful chemicals.
Recommended actions
Because the horizontal initiatives, if adopted, would systematically have to be analyzed and considered in preparatory and review studies, the members are asked to consider these times in the Product Groups.
Associations and companies are recommended to respond to both the consultations on the Working Plan and the SPI.
Related documents and links
All related documents and articles can be found in the respective sections in the right sidebar.
- Link to Roadmap for comments: Energy
- Project website: https://www.ecodesignworkingplan20-24.eu/documents
- Link to MEErP project website: https://susproc.jrc.ec.europa.eu/product-bureau/product-groups/521/home
- GEN – 1221.00 – Preliminary analysis recommendations Working Plan
- GEN – 1219.00 – Sustainable Products Initiative
- SPI public consultation website (includes Roadmap):
- https://ec.europa.eu/info/law/better-regulation/have-your-say/initiatives/12567-Sustainable-Products-Initiative
- GEN – 1207.00 – Previous update Working Plan
- GEN – 1171.00 – Revision of the MEErP
- Link to MEErP project website: https://susproc.jrc.ec.europa.eu/product-bureau/product-groups/521/home
- GEN – 1139.00 – Notes of the first stakeholder Working Plan meeting 10 July 2020
- GEN – 1132.00 – Previous update Working Plan
- GEN – 1103.00 – Announcement Working Plan