Eco-Design of Energy-Using Products Directive
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European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been de ...
's Ecodesign Directive (Directive 2009/125/EC) 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, centr ...
s,
lightbulb An electric light, lamp, or light bulb is an electrical component that produces light. It is the most common form of artificial lighting. Lamps usually have a base made of ceramic, metal, glass, or plastic, which secures the lamp in the so ...
s, TVs and fridges), which are responsible for around 40% of all EU
greenhouse gas emissions Greenhouse gas emissions from human activities strengthen the greenhouse effect, contributing to climate change. Most is carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels: coal, oil, and natural gas. The largest emitters include coal in China and ...
. 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 mat ...
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 and other negative environmental impacts of products. While the Directive's primary aim is to reduce
energy use 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 activity ...
, 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 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 and services consumed by th ...
; polluting emissions;
waste Waste (or wastes) 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 economic value. A waste prod ...
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 Comitology in the European Union refers to a process by which EU law is implemented, modified or adjusted and takes place within "comitology committees" chaired by the European Commission. The official term for the process is committee procedur ...
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 lamps, 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 A transformer is a passive component that transfers electrical energy from one electrical circuit to another circuit, or multiple circuits. A varying current in any coil of the transformer produces a varying magnetic flux in the transformer' ...
s. The implementing measures focus on those products which have a high potential for reducing
greenhouse gas emissions Greenhouse gas emissions from human activities strengthen the greenhouse effect, contributing to climate change. Most is carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels: coal, oil, and natural gas. The largest emitters include coal in China and ...
at low cost, through reduced
energy demand World energy supply and consumption is global production and preparation of fuel, generation of electricity, energy transport, and energy consumption. It is a basic part of economic activity. It includes heat, but not energy from food. This art ...
. 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 or AC, is the process of removing heat from an enclosed space to achieve a more comfortable interior environment (sometimes referred to as 'comfort cooling') and in some cases also strictly controlling ...
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 *** Ventilator, a m ...
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, grinding, shearing, or other forms of deformations. Machine tools employ some sort of tool that does the cutting or shaping. All ...
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 Energy conservation is the effort to reduce wasteful energy consumption by using fewer energy services. This can be done by using energy more effectively (using less energy for continuous service) or changing one's behavior to use less service (f ...
of 341 TWh, or 12% of the
electricity consumption Electric energy consumption is the form of energy consumption that uses electrical energy. Electric energy consumption is the actual energy demand made on existing electricity supply for transportation, residential, industrial, commercial, and ot ...
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.


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
European Union and the environment Policies of the European Union Environmental policy in the EU