Present and future implementation of the ErP Directive in the Basque Country and Spain some proposals from reality

Transcription

1 Sociedad Pública de Gestión Ambiental Ingurumen Jarduketarako Sozietate Publikoa Present and future implementation of the ErP Directive in the Basque Country and Spain some proposals from reality

2 Ihobe is a Public Corporation whose aim is to support the Department for the Environment, Spatial Planning, Agriculture and Fisheries of the Basque Government in developing its environmental policy and in spreading the culture of environmental sustainability in the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country For that purpose: We encourage the production and spreading of the environmental knowledge. We co-operate with companies, public authorities and citizens. We contribute and participate actively in improving the environment. Sharing our knowledge and our resources, from excellence and social responsibility.

3 Publications related to the ErP Directive Information and advise campaign for Basque companies affected by the ErP Ecodesign Directive - How does it affect my company's competitiveness?. 12 pages publication summarising the main aspects of the ErP Directive. Basque companies anticipating the Ecodesign (ErP) Directive Support and subventions. 8 pages publications summarising the different supports and subventions available to respond to the needs of the Basque companies affected by the Ecodesign Directive for Energy related Products (ErP). Everything you should know about the EuP/ErP Directive: Practical guidebook on the legal requirements for the ecodesign of energyrelated products. 124 pages publication with detailed information about the ErP Directive (e.g. implementing measures, product families with higher priority, preparatory studies, etc.)

4 Support services related to the ErP Directive InfoErP web-site. Business information service on the ErP Ecodesign Directive with updated information about latest regulations, preparatory studies, etc. InfoErP Newsletter. A bimonthly bulletin that compiles information on the legislative progresses of the Ecodesign ErP Directive (2009/125/EC) and the Energy Labelling Directive (2010/30/EU). IHOBE-line that offer advanced advice services related to the ErP Ecodesign Directive: Free of charge telephone support from a specialist Free and personalised advice in company (a maximum of 4 hours) from a specialist Training modules for Transferring Advanced Knowledge on the ErP Ecodesign Directive and/or the Electric-Electronic Ecodesign module.

5 Other activities related to Eco-design Eco-Design Classrooms. Partnerships between the industrial sector and the university promoting Eco-design activities Official recognition to companies/products: Environmental Excellence in Basque businesses: Case Studies Environmental Improvement of Products and Services ( Organization of Eco-design Congresses (annually since 2006) The Eco-Efficiency Programme in Basque Companies Three main lines of action to support companies: Environmental leadership Clean technologies SMEs in action

6 Other relevant publications and tools Practical guidebook on Ecodesign: Implementation operative in 7 steps Guide books on eco-design for different sectors (i.e. Electric- Electronic ; Machine Tool; Textile Industry; Urban Furniture; Construction Material; Furniture; Containers and Packaging; Automotive Components) Life Cycle Assessment and Carbon Footprint: Two ways of measuring the environmental impact of a product. Guidebook for the development of the ecodesign standard UNE :2003 (basis for ISO 14006). Environmental labelling of the product: Guidebook of environmental criteria to improve the product. ECO-it: Eco-design software tool

7 Assessment of the present situation Several surveys reflect that a lot of companies are not aware about the ErP Directive and its consequences, specially SMEs Some stakeholders consider that some implementing measures are not ambitious enough, because a significant percentage of the products in the market already fulfil these requirements The ErP Directive by itself does not represent a competitive advantage for companies, because it just defines the minimum requirements for all the products. The competitive advantage is to go beyond these requirements (eco-innovation) In this case, it is needed to inform the potential customer about the better performance of the product. This is not possible with the CE marking, and other type of labelling should be defined for better reflecting this aspect (e.g. Directive 2010/30/EU)

8 The potential customers do not have real information about the total cost of ownership. This information is crucial to promote the most efficient products (in general more expensive but with lower use costs) The correct surveillance of the market is a critical issue to guarantee that all the products follow the rules fixed by the Directive and to avoid the existence of non-compliance products in the market (in general cheaper products than compliance products) The industry needs clearer standards to assess the compliance of the implementing measures and laboratories of reference to do the tests The industry demands economic and technical support to eco-innovate (e.g. direct funding or tax benefits), to reduce the risk of putting in the market ecoinnovative products (i.e. products beyond the ErP Directive requirements)

9 Some proposals for Actions in the future: Increase the knowledge of companies about ErP Directive: Develop an official EC web-site to support companies to implement the ErP Directive, translated to the different EU languages. The existing official web-sites only inform about the legal requirements, etc. but not how to implement them or go beyond these requirements. This web site should include: Guidelines, case studies, tools, etc. (regularly updated). It is possible to take advantage of the work already done by other organisations List of standards and certified laboratories to verify the product conformity Training campaigns that should be personalized to the different company staff (e.g. purchasing, marketing, designers, etc.) Offer of direct services to help companies to implement the Directive (e.g. list of contact points at national/regional level). Promote Consortiums between the leading manufacturing companies to promote the Eco-design in the different sectors. The members should sign the compromise of trying to go beyond ErP Directive requirements and transfer these needs to their supply chain (e.g. environmental/technical specifications, etc.).

10 Reinforce market surveillance to guarantee the implementation of the Directive. Require periodic reports to the members states about the market surveillance actions carried out related to the ErP Directive and the resources allocated to this tasks. Publish comparative reports between members states, local governments, etc. Publish a list of companies/products that have not fulfilled the ErP requirements. This list can be used to take purchasing decisions (e.g. green procurement, products included in renovation programs, comparative studies done by consumers associations, etc.) Define better communication mechanisms with the potential customers, to identify which products go beyond legal requirements and its benefits Include information about the total cost of ownership as another product characteristic (or a similar economic indicator), to facilitate the comparison between products Define agreements and training campaigns for retailers, because they are the final contact with the consumer and they can promote the most efficient products Promote the collaboration with consumer associations to inform them about ErP Directive requirements, most efficient products, etc.

11 Increase the competitiveness of the companies that go beyond ErP Directive requirements Co-fund development projects to put on the market advanced products (higher performance that those required by ErP Directive). Depending on the achieved results this funding could be different (e.g. x% if it reduces the energy consumption in a y%) Reduce the taxes of the companies that put on the market products beyond ErP Directive (environmental benefits for all the society) Publish an official list of companies/products that go beyond the ErP requirements (certified by independent laboratories), including information about the distance to these requirements. It could be linked with the market surveillance activities Promote the implementation of Environmental management systems that incorporate eco-design (e.g. ISO-14006:2011), showing the competitiveness advantages of this implementation and successful cases at the ErP sector

12 Selection of the three most relevant proposals for Actions: Develop an official EC web-site to support companies to implement the ErP Directive, translated to the different EU languages, including Guidelines, etc. (Objective: Increase the knowledge of companies about ErP Directive) Publish periodic reports about market surveillance activities of members states, local governments, etc. and make public the list of companies/products that have not fulfilled the ErP requirements (Objective: Reinforce market surveillance) Promote the implementation of Environmental management systems that incorporate eco-design (e.g. ISO-14006:2011), showing the competitiveness advantages of going beyond the ErP Directive requirements (public recognition of these companies) (Objective: Increase companies competitiveness)

13

14