space Press Releases, News Stories

Environment Daily

19 September 2002 -- The European Commission remains determined to propose a new EU directive obliging electronic and electrical equipment (EEE) producers to green product design, despite significant industry misgivings. Its determination emerged at a conference in Brussels yesterday on environmentally conscious design in the electronics sector. The meeting was organised by consumer electronics and IT trade lobby Eicta. "The Commission is certainly not toying with EEE - we're very serious about it," Michail Papadoyannakis of the enterprise directorate told participants at the seminar. The Commission's resolve was underlined by the leaking of new draft mandates requesting standardisation body Cenelec to draft standards aiding compliance with the law in anticipation of its approval by the EU. Mr Papadoyannakis's remarks followed suggestions from some delegates that the plan had lost its impetus and direction. Doubts were cast over its added value beyond directives on electroscrap recycling at an advanced stage of finalisation (see separate story). Its usefulness was also put in doubt by a separate drive to introduce minimum energy efficiency standards for end-use equipment (ED 12/08/02 http://www.environmentdaily.com/articles/index.cfm?action=a- article&ref=12682). No new draft text on EEE has emerged for 18 months (ED 02/03/01 http://www.environmentdaily.com/articles/index.cfm?action=a- article&ref=94 But Mr Papadoyannakis hit back at opponents of the proposals, insisting the Commission "would have gone much more quickly if some stakeholders had been more cooperative". He said the plan would go beyond existing initiatives by obliging producers to integrate environment into their design. It would require continuous product improvement and focus attention on hazardous substances, he added. Various speakers outlined their views on how to advance green product design. Wim Bruens of Philips said the EEE directive and the delayed integrated product policy strategy should merely "organise the creative processes" and "not be about target or priority setting". Eicta president Anthony Parish warned the Commission not to be too prescriptive, which would restrict flexibility to innovate greener product developments. Charlotte de Roo of European consumers' association Beuc appealed for firms to embrace the EU flower ecolabel. She predicted the new electroscrap directives would allow the more progressive manufacturers to "finally have more than a niche market".

It was "really unbelievable" that more sustainable products were still more expensive than their less sustainable counterparts, she said.

Follow-up: Eicta http://www.eicta.org/, tel: +32 2 706 8470, and conference information http://www.eicta.org/1/MMDOLBJAMOMFLJLIDFFMABGAPDBY9LKT4G5L- L53BDBDP3BYTE4Q/EICTA/docs/DLS/2002-EPC_WEEE-00002-01.pd