The European Commission has unveiled a new set of proposals under the European Green Deal to make sustainable products the norm in the EU, stimulate circular business models and empower consumers for a green transition in the EU.
This is stated in the communiqué on the website of the European Commission.
As explained, the new rules should make almost all physical goods on the EU market more environmentally friendly, cyclical and energy efficient throughout their entire life cycle - from the design stage to everyday use or repurposing.
"The items we use every day need to be more sustainable. They need to be second-hand and third-hand. (...) The products we use need to be durable, reliable, recyclable and repairable", EC Executive Vice President Frans Timmermans said at a press conference in Brussels, presenting the new European initiative.
The new strategy also includes the production of more durable, maintainable and recyclable and recyclable textiles. This should solve the problem of textile waste and the destruction of unsold fabrics, as well as ensure their production in full respect of social rights.
The third proposal aims to expand the internal market for construction products and ensure that the current regulatory framework is in line with the EU's sustainability and climate goals.
The package also includes a proposal for new rules that will empower consumers to transition to green products so that they are better informed about the environmental sustainability of products and better protected from greenwashing.
As explained in Brussels, with these proposals, the European Commission provides tools for the transition to a true "circular" economy in the EU, less dependent on energy and resources, more resilient to external shocks and respectful of nature and human health.
In 2021 alone, the EU's "ecodesign" requirements saved consumers €120 billion. The rules also resulted in a 10% reduction in annual energy consumption. By 2030, the new system could provide energy savings of around 150 billion cubic meters of natural gas, almost equivalent to the EU's imports of Russian gas, according to the European Commission.
"If we adhere to this policy, then by 2030 we will be able to save the energy equivalent of the current import of Russian gas to the European Union," said Virginijus Sinkevicius, member of the European Commission for the Environment.
In turn, EU Commissioner for the Internal Market Thierry Breton said: "This is important for our energy sovereignty. This is one of the key elements of the task that we are tackling today to reduce dependence on Russian gas."
As EcoPoliticа reported, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, speaking in the Danish Parliament on March 29, said that Russia's aggression is an argument to accelerate the "green" transformation of Europe.
