Green deal proposals: newly adopted circularity policy mix
- Inma Carrascosa
- Apr 21, 2022
- 1 min read
A new circularity package proposed in the EU’s circular economy action plan was adopted on March 30th. Four key initiatives have been approved by the Commission to address products’ life cycle environmental impacts:
The proposal builds on the Ecodesign Directive and will ensure minimum ecodesign and information requirements are developed for almost all categories of physical goods placed on the EU market.
ESPR proposal regulation aims to:
Set minimum criteria for energy efficiency, circularity, and overall reduction of climate and environmental footprint of products.
Set requirements to ensure information on the environmental sustainability of products is made available.
To meet these objectives, the European Commission (EC) is introducing a digital product passport mandatory for all products under the ESPR and the new labelling requirements.
The EC has presented targeted sectoral activities to ensure the sustainability of two high priority product categories: textiles and construction products.
In terms of ecodesign requirements, the SSCT specifically aims at reducing textiles’ environmental footprint by 2030 through the establishment of:
mandatory minimum recycled fibre content and performance requirements;
rules on destruction of unsold or returned textiles;
rules on waste shipments;
clearer information requirements to prevent greenwashing;
economic incentives to make products more sustainable (“eco-modulation of fees”).
The adaptation towards a more sustainable textile ecosystem is to be achieved through the co-creation of a Transition Pathway for the Textiles Ecosystem, which is open for consultation until 15 May 2022.
The 2011 construction products regulation’s refit aims at improving the single market for construction products by ensuring consistency with other EU legislation and addressing product-specific environmental impacts. In the context of construction products, the proposal is expected to effectively address the EU goals stemming from: the Industrial Policy Strategy, the Standardisation Strategy, European Green Deal, and the Circular Economy Action Plan. The proposal will require producers to meet more stringent safety and environmental regulations to bring their products to the market. On the other hand, it will also create more business opportunities by providing access to a broader choice of products.
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