EuP Directive compliance
The EcoDesign Requirements for Energy Using Products (EuP) Directive became law in EU Member States in August 2007. It provides a framework for setting EcoDesign requirements for any group of products which uses energy. The scope is deliberately broad so that an increasingly wide range of products can be targeted over the next few years. The EcoDesign requirements will require manufacturers to introduce design changes which reduce the environmental impact of their products across the life cycle, with a particular focus on energy.
The Directive takes its legal base from Article 95 of the Treaty of Rome, and so all Member States must implement the EcoDesign requirements in exactly the same way (similar to the RoHS Directive). The Directive does not apply to means of transport (planes, cars etc). Apart from this the scope is deliberately broad so that an increasingly wide range of products can be targeted over the next few years. EcoDesign requirements for the first fifteen product groups are currently being drawn up, another five product groups are ongoing and the list of the next twenty five product groups to be targeted for action is currently being finalised.
ENVIRON has been commissioned by the BERR Electronics Knowledge Transfer Network to prepare Strategic Briefings on each of the affected product groups to:
- explain the proposed EcoDesign requirements and the status of implementing measures
- provide advice on design options that product designers should consider to comply with the requirements
ENVIRON will use the knowledge and experience it gains from this work to help members of the Environmental Design and Compliance Club to prepare for compliance with the EuP Directive requirements.
The EuP Directive introduces business risks and opportunities and it is important that consumer electronics manufacturers start planning now. In particular, manufacturers should:
- assess the level of business disruption and cost which may arise from the proposed EcoDesign requirements and how this will affect the company's ability to gain/maintain CE marking for its products
- minimise the business costs and risk by taking early action to build the proposed EcoDesign requirements into all new product designs and design reviews of existing products
Two of the first product groups which will be affected are Standby & Off-mode Losses, and Battery Chargers & External Power Supplies. ENVIRON's Strategic Briefings on these product groups are published on www.electronics-ktn.com. Club members will benefit from further detailed information.
The draft Regulation for Standby & Off-mode Losses is expected to be approved in July 2008 and to come into force in 2009. It contains strict power consumption limits that all household and office electrical and electronic equipment will need to comply with. The European Commission is preparing a working document on EcoDesign requirements for External Power Supplies & Battery Chargers for review early in 2008.
In addition to advice on EcoDesign issues and approaches contained in these implementing measures, the Club will help manufacturers to prepare the necessary technical documentation to demonstrate conformity with the EuP Directive requirements (e.g. IEC 62301 measurement procedures for power consumption).
For further information, please contact Dr Aidan Turnbull
Head of WEEE, RoHS & EcoDesign on +44 (0)1225 748420
