New rules and better eco design make household appliances more sustainable

New EU rules are adopting ‘eco-design’ to make it easier to repair everyday household appliances and reduce waste.

Improving the ecodesign of products such as refrigerators, televisions, washing machines and dishwashers to keep in line with the ‘Energy efficiency first‘ principle will require manufacturers to make spare parts available and to ensure they can be easily replaced.

It is crucial we bin the current ‘throwaway’ trend, which depletes natural resources and empties consumers’ pockets

says Monique Goyens, director-general of BEUC, an umbrella group for consumer organisations from 32 European countries

The so-called “right to repair” rules will come into place from March 2021, when manufacturers will have to ensure that

1. they have spare parts available for at least seven years after a product has been sold,
2. they can deliver the parts within 15 working days
3. the parts can be replaced safely using commonly available tools.

Whether it is by fostering repairability or improving water consumption, intelligent eco-design makes us use our resources more efficiently, bringing clear economic and environmental benefits. Figures speak for themselves: these measures can save European households on average €150 per year and contribute to energy savings equal to annual energy consumption of Denmark by 2030. It is with concrete steps such as these that Europe as a whole is embracing the circular economy to the benefit of citizens, our environment and European businesses.

says European Commission Vice-President for Jobs, Growth, Investment and Competitiveness Jyrki Katainen

These measures will lead to savings for the consumer and massive reductions in energy consumption.

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