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To bin or not to bin? How testing can help design products that last longer

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To bin or not to bin? How testing can help design products that last longer

Many products are failing too soon. Which ones do you think are the usual suspects? What causes them to fail? How can we assess whether a product is durable or not? These are just a few questions that the European testing project ‘PROMPT’ has looked into since 2019.

The phenomenon - known as ‘premature obsolescence’ - puts considerable strain on planetary resources and households' budgets. But this is no fate. As the EU is designing new rules to make products last longer and become easier to repair, we invite you to discuss how product testing can help improve design.

Agenda:

11:00-11:05: Welcoming words by BEUC

11:05-11:25: What the PROMPT project has revealed about testing premature obsolescence, by Olaf Wittler, PROMPT project coordinator, Fraunhofer IZM, Germany.

Followed by a Q&A with the audience

11:30- 12:20: Panel discussion:

    - Biljana Borzan, Member of the European Parliament, Rapporteur on Empowering consumers for the Green Transition
    - William Neale, Circular Economy Adviser, European Commission (DG Environment)
    - Paolo Falcioni, Director General, APPLiA (Home Appliance Europe)
    - Els Bruggeman, Head Policy and Enforcement, Testaankoop/Testachats (Belgian consumer organisation)

12:20-12:25: Closing words by BEUC

12:25-13:30: Networking lunch

This in-person event has a limited capacity. Make sure to register at your earliest convenience.