Important new publication about Ecodesign and resource efficiency

The Danish Ministry of Environment has recently published an important publication that examines how resource efficiency requirements can be integrated into the EU Ecodesign Directive.

Ecodesign Directive version 2.0 – from Energy Efficiency to Resource Efficiency

The Ecodesign Directive is one of the policy instruments that can play an important role in the change towards increased resource efficiency in Europe. The objective of this study has been to examine how resource efficiency requirements can be further integrated into implementing measures and voluntary agreements under the Ecodesign Directive. An overview is given of to what extent this has been the case in the existing implementing measures and voluntary agreements; and a detailed study is made of the two most ambitious cases: the voluntary agreement on imaging equipment and the implementing measure on vacuum cleaners. Finally, a review was made of existing resource efficiency requirements in four voluntary instruments: the Nordic Ecolabel, the EU ecolabel, EU Green Public Procurement (GPP) Guidelines and Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT) for imaging equipment, computers and windows.

The report identified several barriers to resource efficiency. The conclusion states:

Some barriers have to be overcome for resource efficiency to become actual requirements in the implementing measures or voluntary agreements. In the study, the following barriers were identified through interviews with stakeholders involved in the Ecodesign process:

• The Ecodesign Directive is embedded mainly within DG Energy and DG Enterprise. This is a potential barrier, since especially DG Energy has focus on energy and has competences within this field. However, this is slowly changing.
• The calculation, measurement and test standards for resource efficiency requirements are not fully matured for all types of requirements. This might be a challenge in terms of market surveillance.
• Some of the resource efficient requirements may not provide the same obvious benefits for the consumer compared to an energy efficient product. Hence, the manufactures have difficulties in applying resource efficiency to differentiate their products. However, this is not the case for resource efficiency requirements such as durability and reparability where there is an obvious benefit for the consumer.
• Opposition from parts of the industry could be expected especially when targeting requirements such as durability, as it might have a negative impact on their business if not combined with new business models. However, some of the producers may see resource efficiency requirement as a good opportunity; especially, producers of high-end products, because it may remove some of their competitors’ products.

Importantly, several drivers were also identified. Again, the conclusion states:

However, there are also drivers which help push for the implementation of resource efficiency requirements into the implementing measures and voluntary agreements. These drivers are that:

• Resource efficiency aspects are already part of the ecodesign framework Directive, and included in a few implementing measures.
• Resource efficiency and circular economy is currently high on the political agenda.
• Pressure from the internal and/or external stakeholders.

There is an important annex of the review of the EC’s Joint Research Centre’s work on resource efficiency in the Ecodesign Directive.

The publication is available on the ministry website.