Nachhaltige Verbrauchs- und Produktionsmuster[en][fr] 

The mainstay of current EU efforts to reduce the environmental impact of consumer goods is the 2005 Eco-design requirements for energy-using products (EuP) Directive, which sets requirements on energy use for popular products that consume energy, such as hairdryers, computers, fridges or office equipment (EurActiv LinksDossier).    

In addition, a range of existing instruments and policy areas address the broader issue of sustainable consumption and production, including 'thematic strategies' on use of natural resources and waste as well as the Integrated Product Policy (IPP). Environmental groups have criticised this policy framework for being too fragmented and lacking sufficiently stringent regulations.

The EU is proposing a framework for reducing the environmental impact of production and consumption patterns along with a strategy for 'greening' Europe's industrial policy. A proposal to expand existing 'eco-design' rules on energy-using products will be expanded to a wide range of 'energy related' goods.

Eco-design and labelling

The Commission laments that existing rules and instruments only account for 35-40% of the environmental impact of products, and that there is a lack of coordination between regulatory instruments and voluntary initiatives, as well as a disconnection between different national and regional schemes. 

In addition, EU standards regulations and labelling schemes - not only the EuP but also the Ecolabel Regulation, the Energy Efficiency Labelling Directive and the Energy Star Programme - have all had only limited success in reducing EU CO2 emissions while lessening the environmental impact of production and consumption patterns, according to the EU executive. 

To correct the situation, it is set to propose an action plan on Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP) combined with one on Sustainable Industrial Policy (SIP).

The plans will feature a far-reaching expansion of the EuP to all energy-related products, such as windows and shower taps, according to an earlier draft seen by EurActiv (EurActiv 10/04/08). Existing labelling schemes for products that fall under the EuP will also be expanded through proposals to revise the Energy Efficiency Labelling Directive and the Ecolabel scheme. 

The precise list of products affected by the expanded EuP will be revealed when the plans are unveiled. A precise publication date has not been set. 

Incentive measures

Along with new labels and standards, the SCP/SIP plans will include fiscal incentives and 'greener' public procurement rules in order to stimulate demand and uptake of cleaner products, with a proposal for a new directive on green procurement forecast for September. 

The incentive measures will be based on voluntary benchmarks that will "identify the best environmental performance" of a given product or product range, according to the draft communication on the action plans. 

More investment in research and the creation of 'lead markets' to stimulate growth in certain sectors deemed highly sustainable are also being put forward. The Commission published a communication on lead market initiatives in January 2008 (EurActiv LinksDossier).

Well received?

The Commission has received "generally positive" feedback from stakeholders about the action plans, according to one EU official close to the dossier. Brussels has also welcomed clean product initiatives by large retailers, the official said in reference to a 10 March initiative by the European Retail Round Table (ERRT). 

But there are concerns in Brussels circles that the action plans will spark a contentious debate between industry sectors about the scope the standards. Moreover, a repeated delay of the action plans, originally scheduled for December 2007, has given rise to speculation that the Commission has struggled to define a coherent strategy (EurActiv 21/02/08). 

EU Industry Commissioner Günter Verheugen believes the SCP and SIP plans are part the "birth of a new chapter" in the EU's industrial policy. This is necessary to "overcome old thinking" with respect to the perceived contradiction between modern technologies and environmental protection, Verheugen said in Brussels on 27 June.

Meanwhile, EU Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas is confident that "we are only at the beginning of a move towards sustainable consumption and production. But these are important first steps and in 10 years time I am convinced that environmental product standards will be taken for granted by European consumers. And with a single market of half a billion people, where Europe leads, the rest of the world very often follows," he said in a 3 June statement.

But not all experts are certain consumers will 'get it'. EU consumer organisation BEUC says the onus should be on simplicity as eco-labels containing too much information will confuse consumers. Jim Murray, the organisation's former director, argues that designing a workable SCP strategy will require "a more realistic understanding of consumers as they actually are, and not as we would wish they were".

The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) also cautions in a 2008 study on sustainable consumption that "in general, subsidies and tax incentives only work if they close the price gap for more sustainable products or create significant tax rebates for their use". 

"Incremental tax reductions or small subsidies" meanwhile "do not by themselves create demand for more sustainable products," the study says.

Tax incentives are commonly used to stimulate the development of goods such as energy-efficient appliances, cleaner cars or renewable energies. But coordinating national tax policies at European level is difficult. A joint proposal put forward in November 2007 by the UK and France in favour of reduced (and harmonised) VAT rates for green goods and services, for example, did not receive broad support from other member states, which must agree on such measures unanimously (EurActiv 13/11/07). 

Orgalime, which represents the EU's electronics and electrical engineering industries, says the industry can make big contributions to cutting EU CO2 emissions, especially through energy efficiency improvements. But more investment incentives and greater certainty on exemptions to EU emissions rules are needed, the organisation said in a 25 June press statement (EurActiv 27/06/08). 

More stakeholder reactions will be posted here following the release of the SCP/SIP action plans.