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EU states vote for digital product passport

This results out of the joint position of the EU Competition Council on the new Ecodesign Regulation.

 

The ministers have agreed on a general approach to the EU Commission's proposal for a new Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR). The Ecodesign Regulation is a central component of the European Green Deal, with which the EU has set itself the goal of achieving climate neutrality by 2050. The new regulation will apply not only to energy-related products, but to almost all physical products, and will in future provide the legal framework for imposing environmental and resource protection requirements on products over their entire life cycle, including recycling. This is also intended to strengthen the use of recycled materials so that more substances are recycled and kept in the cycle. With the agreement now reached in Brussels on the introduction of a digital product passport and on a ban on the destruction of usable goods, Germany has been able to achieve important objectives, explains the German Federal Environment Ministry (BMUV), which together with the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection (BMWK) was responsible for negotiating the Ecodesign Regulation on behalf of the German government. The decision of the EU Competition Council represents a concrete step towards achieving a more sustainable economy, the BMUV said in a statement. Commenting on the decision, State Secretary for the Environment Christiane Rohleder said, "In the future, only products that are durable and repairable, as well as reusable and recyclable, and that comply with the regulations for sustainable products will be approved in the EU." The Digital Product Passport would also strengthen the rights of consumers across the EU, providing them with comprehensive information about the environmental footprint of each product. Once the "General Approach" has been set, the trilogue process will begin, during which EU member states will negotiate the final draft of the Ecodesign Regulation with the Commission and the European Parliament.
 

Sources:

  • recyclingmagazin.de, BMUV (May 22, 2023)
  • Photo: unsplash.com

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