Home
slider-campaign_page1.jpg
slider-campaign_page2-2022.jpg

Our actions

Ecodesign and Energy Labelling

Ecodesign and Energy Labelling

European consumers are becoming increasingly aware of the environmental and social impacts of their purchasing choices and are willing to change their lifestyle to reduce their footprint. This entails, for example, favouring durable and repairable products, buying second-hand items and leasing products rather than buying new ones.

Nonetheless, engaging in more sustainable consumption practice is no easy task. Unsustainable products flood the market, the more sustainable choice is often the least affordable one, and the widespread use of unsubstantiated green claims prevents consumers from understanding which products are truly more sustainable.

An ambitious EU product policy and stronger consumers rights can successfully make more sustainable products the norm. Over the past 10 years, Ecodesign and Energy Labelling policies have contributed to make certain consumer products more energy efficient. Such policies have steered consumers’ purchasing choices towards less energy-guzzling ones thanks to clear and reliable information. This has resulted in significant financial savings in their energy bills, up to €454 according to our own research.

While this is already a good achievement, much more can be done. A reformed product policy framework should focus not only on improving products’ energy efficiency, but also their durability, repairability, upgradability and chemicals safety.

This webpage highlights the benefits of Ecodesign and Energy Labelling policies for consumers. It also details the ongoing legislative initiatives and our work to reduce the environmental impact of products and make the sustainable choice the easy one for all.

Ecodesign in simple terms

Many of us might be unaware that a wide range of products commonly found in our homes are ‘ecodesigned’. What does it mean? Ecodesign is a set of measures that compels manufacturers to make our fridges, televisions, light bulbs and many more consumer products less energy-intensive.

According to EU Commission estimates, 80% of all environmental impacts could be avoided during the design phase of a product. Therefore, the EU introduced a law in 2005 which sets Ecodesign requirements for energy-using products.

Since then, only the products that fulfil the minimum Ecodesign requirements are allowed on the European market. Hence, consumers are provided with less polluting products and save money. Because less energy means lower electricity bills.

In addition to limiting the energy consumption of products, some of the latest Ecodesign rules adopted in 2019 have introduced requirements in new areas such as durability (e.g., minimum lifetime of products), repairability (e.g., availability of spare parts) and upgradeability.

What benefits for consumers?

Ecodesign measures can alleviate the environmental impacts of products while improving their overall quality. They also decrease running costs for European households, as they become more energy efficient.

In a 2016 study, we calculated that consumers can save several hundreds of euros thanks to Ecodesign. This is because EU laws have imposed on manufacturers to produce less energy-guzzling products.

Consumers’ savings can further increase, if they choose to buy products in the top class of the Energy Label. This aspect is particularly important as global energy prices are skyrocketing, and consumers face high electricity bills.

Ecodesign can also help improve consumer products, like making vacuum cleaners more silent, fridges more repairable and lamps more durable.

What more can be done?

German consumer group vzbv estimates that consumers could save up to 3.67 billion euros if TVs, smartphones, washing machines and laptops lasted longer. The good news is it can be achieved through more ambitious Ecodesign measures.

In 2020, the EU Commission adopted the Circular Economy Action Plan, which contained several policy initiatives aimed at promoting more sustainable, durable, and repairable products, as well as protecting consumers against greenwashing.

One of these flagship initiatives is the Sustainable Product Initiative, which is meant to revise the Ecodesign Directive and propose additional legislative measures to make products placed on the EU market more sustainable.

We support this initiative and have collected our recommendations for a successful outcome in this position paper.

In a nutshell:

  • The scope of the Ecodesign Directive should be extended to additional products - including textile and furniture - and beyond energy efficiency, systematically covering aspects such as durability, repairability, upgradability and hazardous substances.
  • The governance of Ecodesign should be improved, for example by strengthening the synergy with the EU Ecolabel when developing criteria for common products.
  • Further improvements can be made by ending self-regulation and avoiding the “package approach” – i.e. adopting implementing Regulations in batches, which often delay the process.

The work on the Sustainable Products Initiative is ongoing and a proposal is expected in Spring 2022.

A new work plan 2020-2024

Every three years the European Commission develops a new Working Plan to identify product groups that should be prioritised for the adoption of Ecodesign implementing Regulations.

In March 2020, the European Commission commissioned the preparatory study for the Ecodesign and Energy Labelling Working Plan 2020-2024, which will set out the future priorities for the implementation of both the Ecodesign Directive and the Energy Labelling Regulation.

Unfortunately, the publication of this Working Plan has been delayed to Spring 2022. The new Working plan should fit with the reviewed ambition of Ecodesign and align with the Sustainable Products Initiative’s objectives as much as possible.

To ensure that consumers can continue to benefit from more efficient products on the market, we asked the European Commission to prioritise products of consumer relevance, such as digital and connected products, electronics and ICT products and to consider consumers’ expectations regarding durability and repairability. As reported by Spanish consumer organisation OCU, this type of products is among the most problematic for consumers, due to early failures to batteries, key components and operating systems.

Energy label

While the benefits of Ecodesign are invisible to consumers, the Energy Label is displayed on the product. It helps consumers make an informed choice by providing the level of energy performance of the product they consider buying. Transparency and high visibility of the label incentivises manufacturers to go the extra mile and continue improving the energy performance of their products.

Since March 2021, consumers benefit from a simpler, clearer and more accurate “A-to-G" scale label for several household appliances (washing machines and washer-driers, dishwashers, TVs and monitors, refrigerators, and lamps) and more will follow (e.g., tumble dryers, vacuum cleaners).

This follows a 2019 European Commission decision to move away from the “A+”, “A++”, “A+++” classes that had appeared over the years. This rescaling was necessary as most products models were over-populating the highest classes of the energy labels, thus having a negative impact on technological innovation. Furthermore, consumers were often confused about the actual level of energy efficiency of their products as displayed on the energy label.

The new rescaled label displays new features and updated pictograms and reflects more accurate and stricter measurement methods to calculate products’ energy efficiency. Additionally, through a QR code on the new rescaled energy label, consumers will be able to access an online database containing further information on the selected product.
See more details about the new label’s features and timeline in this visual.

What more can be done?
The energy label should be swiftly rescaled for all other consumer-relevant appliances, to enable more energy and financial savings and encourage innovation. Besides, the coexistence on the market of both the old and the rescaled labels risks confusing consumers and hindering the effectiveness of such a recognisable and trusted tool.

Being able to easily identify and compare the level of energy efficiency of their products remains an important aspect for consumers. However, energy efficiency is just one of the sustainability aspects that interests consumers today. There is a growing demand for more sustainable lifestyles and products, in a more comprehensive way.

Consumers should also have access to credible, clear, and comparable information about products’ durability, repairability and upgradability potentials.


Tyre labelling

The purpose of the tyre label is to help consumers make informed choices when purchasing tyres, by considering:

  • which tyres can help them save on fuel
  • whether the tyre allows for shorter braking distance
  • the noise level of the tyres.

In other words, the label aims to make road transport cheaper, safer and greener.

Since 1 May 2021, new rules apply on tyre labelling which enable European consumers to make better choices and bring energy savings equivalent to taking 4 million cars off EU roads every year. Moreover, in addition to the standard label there will be icons related to ice and snow gripping. Ice performance shall be labelled in accordance with standard ISO 19445 which is related to passenger car tyres and methods to measure ice-grip performance. This is especially relevant for Nordic consumers, more likely to drive on snowy roads. 

Future revisions will make it possible to include information on abrasion, which is related both to micro plastics and mileage (number of kilometers a tyre lasts before it needs to be replaced). The lifespan of a tyre depends on a range of factors including wear resistance, maintenance, pattern and structure of the tyre, road conditions as well as driving behaviour.

While there are no Ecodesign measures for tyres, Regulation (EC) 661/2009 sets the same minimal requirements of efficiency as Ecodesign regulations, along with measures on safety and health protection.

It is BEUC’s and ANEC’s role to ensure that the EU institutions take into consideration the consumer view when setting criteria for Ecodesign, energy labelling, and tyre labelling. Together with our members, we strive to ensure the agreed measures deliver savings for consumers and help protect the environment.

Both the Ecodesign Directive and the Energy Labelling Regulation establish a group of experts called the "Consultation Forum" of which European consumer organisations ANEC and BEUC are official members. The Forum supports the European Commission in developing new legislation which aims to make products more sustainable.

ANEC and BEUC are also members of the PROMPT Consortium, a research project which pushes for products to be designed to last. The project’s results will feed BEUC’s EU policy demands to tackle premature obsolescence, and aid ANEC in its contributions to technical standards on consumer products.

BEUC is also partner of the BELT Consortium, a Horizon 2020 project with the objective of stimulating consumers to choose better energy performing products thanks to energy labelling.

BEUC also represents consumer organisations in the EU Ecolabelling Board, providing input for the development and revision of new and existing EU Ecolabel criteria.


BEUC acts as the umbrella group in Brussels for over 40 well-respected, independent national consumer organisations from over 30 European countries. BEUC’s main task is to represent them at European stage and defend the interests of all Europe’s consumers. Visit BEUC's website.

ANEC is the European consumer voice in standardisation with membership open to the representation of national consumer organisations in 34 European countries. It represents consumers in the creation of technical standards, especially those developed to support the implementation of European laws and public policies. Visit ANEC's website.

The Öko-Institut (Institute for Applied Ecology) provides us with technical expertise.

 

Our sustained efforts have contributed to the following consumer wins:

  • The European Commission is working on the introduction of new Ecodesign and Energy Labelling Regulations for smartphones and tablets, which would contain several of our recommendations to make these iconic products more durable, repairable and upgradable. Over the course of 2022, we will continue to work with policy makers to ensure consumers can benefit from longer lasting and more sustainable smartphones.
  • In 2021, the European Parliament adopted an own initiative report on the New Circular Economy Action Plan. The report includes several of ANEC and BEUC’s recommendations on sustainable production and consumption, including the need to extend the Ecodesign framework beyond energy-related products. The report also calls for the adoption of horizontal sustainability principles and product-specific standards on durability, repairability, upgradability, non-toxicity and recyclability.
  • In 2020, the European Commission adopted the second Circular Economy Action Plan, stressing on the importance to provide EU consumers with high-quality, functional and safe products, which are efficient and affordable, last longer and are designed for reuse and repair. Part of this Plan is  the Sustainable Products Initiative, through which the EU will work towards making more sustainable products the norm.
  • Since March 2021, consumers benefit from a clearer and more detailed A-G energy label for fridges, TV screens, dishwashers and washing machines, and lamps. This was a longstanding call from consumer organisations. We continue advocating for a timely rescale of the energy label for all remaining consumers appliances.

Our factsheets:

 
Flyer Ecodesign house The new EU energy label

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our position papers:

   
Making more sustainable products the new normal Consumer views on Ecodesign work plan 2016-2019  
 
How consumers benefit from Ecodesign year after year ANEC/BEUC comments
on lighting regulations
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BEUC news piece ‘New energy labelling rules kicking in on 1 November: what to expect?’, 29 Oct 2020
Find all our related publications here and here.

  Michela Vuerich, Programme Manager (ANEC) Silvia Barlassina, Ecodesign Project Coordinator (ANEC/BEUC)

 

ANEC - The European consumer voice in standardisation

Rue d'Arlon 80 
B-1040 Bruxelles
Tel.: +32 2 743 24 70
E-mail: anec@anec.eu

BEUC - The European Consumer Organisation

Rue d'Arlon, 80 Bte 1
B - 1040 Bruxelles
Tel: +32 2 743 15 93
E-mail: sustainability@beuc.eu