The Ecodesign Directive

Scope

The Ecodesign Directive has existed since 2005. The Directive (Directive 2005/32/EC) covers in principle all energy-using products placed on the EU market. The scope of the Directive was extended recently so as to cover all energy-related products and the revised version of the Directive (Directive 2009/125/EC) entered into force on 10 November 2009.

The Ecodesign Directive provides a coherent and integrated framework for the application of EU-wide rules, to improve the environmental performance of energy-related products. The Ecodesign Directive does not create any binding requirements on products by itself, but product-specific ecodesign measures (mandatory requirements) are set in Commission regulations.

Ecodesign - definition

The Ecodesign Directive describes ecodesign as “the integration of environmental aspects into product design with the aim of improving the environmental performance of the product throughout its whole life-cycle”. (Directive 2009/125/EC)

According to this definition, the environmental impact of the product is analysed throughout its life-cycle, covering all phases from cradle to grave, such as the use of raw materials and natural resources, manufacturing, packaging, transport, disposal and recycling. It is estimated that more than 80% of the environmental impact of a product is determined at the design stage.

The directive is expected to put greater pressure on manufacturers to estimate the life-cycle costs of their products at the early stage of design, so as to minimise costs on consumers and reduce the environmental impact of their products.