The Ecodesign Directive (Directive 2009/125/EC) of the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...

establishes a framework to set mandatory ecological requirements for energy-using and energy-related products sold in all 27 member states. Its scope currently covers more than 40 product groups (such as

boiler A boiler is a closed vessel in which fluid (generally water) is heated. The fluid does not necessarily boil. The heated or vaporized fluid exits the boiler for use in various processes or heating applications, including water heating, centra ...

s, lightbulbs, TVs and fridges), which are responsible for around 40% of all EU

greenhouse gas emissions Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from human activities intensify the greenhouse effect. This contributes to climate change. Carbon dioxide (), from burning fossil fuels such as coal, petroleum, oil, and natural gas, is the main cause of climate chan ...

. The 2009 revision of the Directive extended its scope to energy-related products such as

window A window is an opening in a wall, door, roof, or vehicle that allows the exchange of light and may also allow the passage of sound and sometimes air. Modern windows are usually glazed or covered in some other transparent or translucent ma ...

s, insulation materials and certain water-using products. The ultimate aim of the Ecodesign Directive is that manufacturers of energy-using products (EuP) will, at the design stage, be obliged to reduce the

energy consumption Energy consumption is the amount of energy used. Biology In the body, energy consumption is part of energy homeostasis. It derived from food energy. Energy consumption in the body is a product of the basal metabolic rate and the physical acti ...

and other negative environmental impacts of products. While the Directive's primary aim is to reduce energy use, it is also aimed at enforcing other environmental considerations including: materials use;

water use A water footprint shows the extent of water use in relation to Consumption (economics), consumption by people. The water footprint of an individual, community, or business is defined as the total volume of fresh water used to produce the goods an ...

; polluting emissions;

waste Waste are unwanted or unusable materials. Waste is any substance discarded after primary use, or is worthless, defective and of no use. A by-product, by contrast is a joint product of relatively minor Value (economics), economic value. A wast ...

issues and recyclability. The Ecodesign Directive is a framework directive, meaning that it does not directly set minimum ecological requirements. These are adopted through specific implementing measures for each group of products in the scope of the Directive. The implementing measures are adopted through the so-called comitology procedure. Implementing measures are based on EU internal market rules governing which products may be placed on the market. Manufacturers who begin marketing an energy-using product covered by an implementing measure in the EU area have to ensure that it conforms to the energy and environmental standards set out by the measure. In practice, the introduction of a new minimum requirement results in effectively banning all non-compliant products from being sold in the 28 Member States. This was for example the case of

incandescent lamp An incandescent light bulb, also known as an incandescent lamp or incandescent light globe, is an electric light that produces illumination by Joule heating a filament until it glows. The filament is enclosed in a glass bulb that is eith ...

s, for which a gradual phaseout started in the EU in 2009 under this Directive. This measure alone – which received some criticism in parts of the media but welcomed by environmentalists – is expected to reduce annual CO₂ emissions by 16 million tons in 2020.

Scope of the Directive

The 2005 Ecodesign directive covered energy-using products (EuP), which use, generate, transfer or measure energy, including consumer goods such as boilers, water heaters, computers, televisions, and industrial products such as

transformer In electrical engineering, a transformer is a passive component that transfers electrical energy from one electrical circuit to another circuit, or multiple Electrical network, circuits. A varying current in any coil of the transformer produces ...

s. The implementing measures focus on those products which have a high potential for reducing

at low cost, through reduced energy demand. The first Working Plan of the Ecodesign Directive was adopted on 21 October 2008. It establishes a list of 10 product groups to be considered in priority for implementing measures in 2009–2011: *

Air conditioning Air conditioning, often abbreviated as A/C (US) or air con (UK), is the process of removing heat from an enclosed space to achieve a more comfortable interior temperature, and in some cases, also controlling the humidity of internal air. Air c ...

and

ventilation Ventilation may refer to: * Ventilation (physiology), the movement of air between the environment and the lungs via inhalation and exhalation ** Mechanical ventilation, in medicine, using artificial methods to assist breathing *** Respirator, a ma ...

systems, including air conditioning system pumps *Electric and fossil-fuelled heating equipment *Food-preparing equipment *Industrial and laboratory furnaces and ovens *

Machine tool A machine tool is a machine for handling or machining metal or other rigid materials, usually by cutting, Boring (manufacturing), boring, grinding (abrasive cutting), grinding, shearing, or other forms of deformations. Machine tools employ some s ...

s *Network, data processing and data storing equipment *Refrigerating and freezing equipment *Sound and imaging equipment *Transformers *Water-using equipment Nine implementing measures have already been adopted – for a total energy saving of 341 TWh, or 12% of the electricity consumption of the EU. Several preparatory studies by DG Energy are completed or ongoing. The European Commission will be tabling a Circular Economy proposal towards the end of 2015. Eco-design is likely to be discussed within this framework.

Smartphones, mobile phones, cordless phones and tablets

The 16 June 2023 regulation introduces from 20 June 2025 onward mandatory labeling with a minimum of 5 years of operating system upgrades, and minimum requirements and rating for resistance to 1 meter height free fall (except for tablets), battery durability, repairability, and dust and water resistance. The battery endurance per cycle is also rated. The repairability rating includes points awarded for software updates above the minimum requirements. The devices have to include a user-selectable option to limit battery charging to 80 % of the capacity to increase battery lifespan. The devices have to either have a user-replaceable battery or both higher battery durability and resistance to immersion in water.

References

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External links

EU energy label and ecodesign websiteEuropean Council for an Energy Efficient Economy pages on the DirectiveCoolproducts for a Cool Planet campaign
Electric power in the European Union European Union energy law European Union and the environment Policies of the European Union Environmental policy in the EU