NEW PROPOSALS LEVERAGING SUSTAINABILITY OF EUROPEAN PRODUCTS AND EUROPE'S RESOURCE INDEPENDENCE PRESENTED BY THE COMMISSION

On 30 March the European Commission presented four new European Green Deal proposals. This package of proposals intends to support the EU’s bid to move to a truly circular economy, by making the vast majority of physical goods on the EU market friendlier to the environment. The presented proposals intend to ensure the sustainability of physical goods throughout their whole lifecycle – from the design phase through to daily use, repurposing and end-of-life.  
 
The proposal for a Regulation on Ecodesign for Sustainable Products intends to broaden the scope and the application of the Ecodesign framework. The proposal sets new requirements to make products more durable, reliable, reusable, upgradable, reparable, easier to maintain, refurbish and recycle, and energy and resource efficient. All types of products, except for food, medicine and plants, are covered by the Commission proposal. 
 
The EU Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles aims to promote and support the production of sustainable and circular textiles. It sets out the vision and concrete actions to ensure that by 2030 textile products placed on the EU market are long-lived and recyclable, made as much as possible of recycled fibers, free of hazardous substances and produced in respect of social rights and the environment. 

The Revision of the Construction Products Regulation will strengthen and modernize rules on the design and manufacture of construction products. The new set of rules will provide a fitting framework to assess and communicate the environmental and climate performance of construction products. This will ensure that construction products will be more durable, repairable, recyclable, and easier to re-manufacture.  
 
A final proposal aims to inform consumers about the environmental sustainability of products. This will empower consumers in the green transition and better protect them against greenwashing. 
 
Sport and its stakeholders are increasingly aware of the need to address challenges dealing with climate action and environmental sustainability. In this view, future development within the sector must be aligned with the EU environment and climate strategy, particularly the European Green Deal. Although there is no direct reference to sport is made, this package of proposals is set to impact the sector. 
 
More detailed information on the presented proposals can be viewed here.