SustainableProducts4LIFE
SustainableProducts4LIFE
2026 - 2029
SustainableProducts4LIFE (SP4L) is a collaboration project of four civil society organisations – the consumer organisations The European Consumer Organisation (BEUC) and the European consumer voice in standardisation (ANEC) together with the Environmental Coalition on Standards (ECOS), the European Environmental Bureau (EEB). The project aims to ensure the strong and effective representation of civil society in the development and revision of EU rules and standards that set sustainability criteria for the design of products and promote energy and resource efficiency. Thanks to this project, the partners have the means to contribute to and take part in the preparatory processes, leading to implementing measures under the Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR), Ecodesign Directive (ED), and Energy Labelling (EL) legislations, and related measures.
Over the past few decades, the ED and EL frameworks have played a key role in lowering energy consumption and enhancing the sustainability of household appliances. A study commissioned by BEUC in 2023 estimated that existing Ecodesign measures allow European households to save approximately €650 annually on their energy bills. The adoption of the ESPR entails an additional saving potential for consumers, helping them to save money by reducing energy consumption and increasing the overall sustainability of products such as textile apparel, furniture, mattresses and tyres. The Ecodesign measures under development will systematically improve products’ sustainability, such as their durability, reliability, repairability and recyclability and thereby reduce virgin resource consumption.
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The European Consumer Organisation (BEUC)
BEUC (Bureau Européen des Unions de Consommateurs) is the umbrella group for 45 independent consumer organisations from 31 countries. Its main role is to represent them to the EU institutions and defend the interests of European consumers. BEUC’s daily work involves making sure the EU takes policy decisions that improve the lives of consumers. This covers a range of topics including competition, consumer rights, digital rights, energy, redress and enforcement, financial services, food, health, safety, sustainability and trade policy.
ECOS, The Environmental Coalition on Standards
ECOS – Environmental Coalition on Standards, is an international NGO with a network of members and experts advocating for environmentally friendly technical standards, policies, and laws. It ensures the environmental voice is heard, driving changes by providing expertise to policymakers and industry players, leading to the implementation of strong environmental principles at international, regional, and national levels. ECOS has 63 members from 30 countries. ECOS is the coordinator of the project
Visit ECOS website.
ANEC, The European Consumer Voice in Standardisation
ANEC is the European consumer voice in standardisation. It represents European consumer interests in the creation of technical standards, especially those developed to support the implementation of European laws and public policies. ANEC’s mission is to raise standards for European consumers through the work of its members, experts, and Secretariat, to achieve optimal levels of consumer protection, welfare, and sustainability.
Visit ANEC website.
EEB, The European Environmental Bureau
The European Environmental Bureau (EEB) is Europe’s largest network of environmental citizens’ organisations, standing for environmental justice, sustainable development and participatory democracy. Its experts work on pressing environmental issues including climate change, biodiversity, circular economy, air, water, soil, chemical pollution, as well as policies on industry, energy, agriculture, product design and waste prevention. The EEB is also active on overarching issues such as sustainable development, good governance, participatory democracy and the rule of law in Europe and beyond. It has over 190 members in over 41 countries.
Visit EEB website.
The main activity of SustainableProducts4LIFE is to contribute to the relevant fora where sustainable products criteria, ecodesign and energy labelling of products are being discussed. This process builds the ground for the European Commission to develop and revise their position to propose delegated acts implementing the regulations. In public and targeted stakeholder consultations, the consortium will provide technical input and collected evidence, as well as experts’ knowledge to the process.
The consortium members further contribute by raising awareness on the importance of a transparent and inclusive system for developing product criteria. Through regular consultation with members and external experts as well as exchanges with the wider stakeholders within the ecodesign community, the Consortium will identify aspects of consumer and environmental relevance and translate these into evidence-based policy recommendations to the European Commission. Besides their own collaboration and involvement in the processes, the Consortium will raise awareness and build the capacity of national consumer and environmental representatives for greater involvement of civil society in ESPR, ED and EL developments.
This work helps to develop policies and standards that are fit for purpose, robust, and reflective of real-life consumer behaviour and environmental priorities.
