Reinforced and updated Regulation introduces new “chemicals of concern” and product “Digital Passports”. The EU EcoDesign Regulation provides the framework for mandatory product criteria. It is under this Regulation that the EU banned halogenated flame retardants in TV and monitor cases (see pinfa Newsletter n°108). The new Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (2024/1781), entering into force 18th July 2024, centres on energy use, product lifetime and repairability, recycling, lifetime carbon and environmental footprint, green public purchasing and substances of concern.
“Substances of concern” is a new definition (art. 1, §27), covering a wide list of health and environmental hazard classifications already included in current EU chemical regulations but adding also any substance that “negatively affects the reuse and recycling of materials …”. Future product EcoDesign criteria will require (art. 7.5) information about “substances of concern” present in products (identification of substances, range of concentrations …) provided through the Digital Passport.
The European chemicals industry, Cefic (of which pinfa is a sector group), has indicated its support for communication on substances in products to improve circularity. However, it is today unclear how companies will identify whether or not a substance is “of concern” in that the new definition does not rely on existing hazard classifications nor REACH dossier information. It is expected that the European Commission will declare product-specific lists of “substances of concern” when establishing product EcoDesign criteria (art. 7.6).
European Commission: “Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation” https://commission.europa.eu/energy-climate-change-environment/standards-tools-and-labels/products-labelling-rules-and-requirements/sustainable-products/ecodesign-sustainable-products-regulation_en and EcoDesign regulation implementation website https://green-business.ec.europa.eu/implementing-ecodesign-sustainable-products-regulation_en
Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation 2024/1871 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A32024R1781
Cefic position, 27th May 2023 https://cefic.org/policy-matters/innovation/ecodesign-for-sustainable-products-initiative/