ITI Offers Recommendations on How to Improve Product Sustainability While Preserving Innovation
BRUSSELS – Today, global tech trade association ITI, the Information Technology Industry Council, outlined recommendations to EU policymakers on how to improve product sustainability while preserving innovation. In commentsto European Commission’s Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation proposal, ITI underscored industry’s shared goal of improving sustainability and circularity of products.
“We welcome the harmonization of ecodesign requirements for the broad range of products at EU level, thus preventing fragmentation and ensuring legal certainty for manufacturers and other economic actors,” ITI wrote in its comments.“Furthermore, we are pleased to see that the proposal aims to avoid duplication of efforts and regulatory burden in areas covered by sectorial legislation, such as on chemicals, hazardous substances, and waste. We encourage the Commission, when setting ecodesign requirements for specific product groups, to uphold the complementary role of the ESPR and set ecodesign requirements on aspects covered by other legislation only when necessary for the protection of the environment, when not covered by existing legislation, and only after consulting with all relevant stakeholders.”
ITI’s submission includes recommendations to help the Commission establish a framework for setting ecodesign requirements for sustainable products, including:
- Clarify performance and information requirements and ensure consistency with existing and upcoming regulation.
- Facilitate the implementation of the proposed Digital Product Passport for businesses.
- Ensure broad stakeholder participation in the process of setting ecodesign requirements for specific product groups.
- Adopt a more targeted approach and simplify rules on unsold consumer products in order to avoid disproportionate burdens for companies.
Read ITI’s full comments here.