Sustainable Products Initiative: the right approach – but legislators must keep it workable

The European Commission issued today the Sustainable Products Initiative (SPI) that is meant to replace the current Eco-design Directive with a regulation on eco-design of sustainable products. Commenting on the proposal, EuroCommerce Director General Christel Delberghe said:

“The retail and wholesale sector plays a key role in nudging consumers to support sustainability and we have already made a range of private and global commitments to providing more sustainable products. But the design phase is central to reducing a product’s environmental impact. We are therefore pleased to see the Commission applying the proven eco-design approach here. A regulation will help ensure that the measures apply in the same manner in all Member States.”

EuroCommerce asks policymakers to ensure that

• the Regulation follows the product-specific approach of the Eco-design Directive which proved successful in the past with energy-related products and allows the specific characteristics of a product group to be reflected in implementing the Sustainable Product Initiative.
• the possible EU Digital Product Passport is designed to be open, inclusive and decentralised. Just last month (February 2022), EuroCommerce and GS1 Europe jointly recommended that the EU digital product passport should be driven by business needs, be agile and interoperable, inclusive and relevant, and be based on existing regulatory data.
• the initiative stays closely aligned and coherent with other product legislation, such as the New Legislative Framework and the Market Surveillance Regulation.
• the initiative guarantees continued close and productive involvement of stakeholders in the Eco-design Consultation Forum, in which retailers and wholesalers actively participate.