Topic outline

  •   

    Ecodesign

     

    In addition to the risk to humans, domestic animals and/or property, products should not cause harm to environment. As with other products, there are six ways to improve the environmental friendliness of electrical appliances: reduce energy and material consumption; improve repairability and recyclability; optimise service life; and reduce harmful substances in the product.

    The objective of the Ecodesign Directive is to make products more environmentally friendly and remove the worst from the market. The requirements initially focused on reducing energy consumption, but new environmental initiatives concerning the circular economy and sustainable products have expanded the requirements. For example, an obligation to include the annual number of years that an appliance should last on the product is currently planned.

     

    Scope

    The Ecodesign Directive covers virtually all products, but the actual requirements apply only to those product groups for which a separate regulation has been issued. Regulations have been issued for the most common household appliances, as well as for products related to the heating of buildings. They can also apply to only part of a product, such as an external power supply, a light source or an electric motor. You can find a list of the regulations from the Ekosuunnittelu.info website (in Finnish and Swedish only).   

    Please note that even if your electrical appliance is under no specific ecodesign regulation, it might be subject to one of the horizontal regulations such as the stand-by regulation.

    Each product-specific regulation defines which products are covered by the regulation, and which are excluded from its scope. The regulation’s definitions usually explain further what the terms actually mean. For interpretation you can also use the Commission’s guides, FAQ or ask for help from Tukes.

    The scope does not cover means of transport intended for the transport of persons or goods. Appliances intended for use in such means of transport exclusively are also excluded from the scope.

     

    Legislative requirements

    The requirements are laid down in product-specific regulations and vary slightly for each product group. They may concern both the characteristics of the product and the information to be given on the product. The requirements and limit values might concern:

    • Power consumption in use
    • Stand-by mode power consumption
    • Efficiency
    • Water consumption
    • Sound power levels
    • Emissions
    • Serviceability and availability of spare parts
    • Markings of the product
    • Information to be included in the product instructions
    • Information to be included in the technical documents of the product
    • Information to be included on openly accessible websites

     


    Conformity assessment

    Before a product is placed on the market, the business must ensure that it is in compliance with the requirements.  The manufacturer can use either the internal production control specified in annex IV to the Ecodesign Directive or the management system specified in annex V as the conformity assessment procedure for electrical appliances.

    The actual requirements are included in the product-specific regulations. Harmonised standards have been published for verifying many requirements. You can find more information about them in the product-specific pages of the Ekosuunnittelu.info website. However, if there is no harmonised standard, the tests can be carried out using any measurement method that has been found to be the best. Testing is not mandatory in conformity assessment, but verification is often difficult by other means.    

    In addition to assessing the conformity of the characteristics and markings of the actual product, the operator should note that there are requirements for the technical documentation and other information about the product as well. For example, many products must have detailed technical information and instructions for the maintenance and proper disposal available on an openly accessible website.  

    You should also note that the products that are subject to the ecodesign regulations must indicate both the directive and the product-specific regulation in the EU declaration of conformity.

      

    •   

        

       

      Frequently asked questions

       

      Are there requirements for the serviceability of products and the availability of spare parts? What products do they apply to?

      To improve repairability, new ecodesign requirements have been issued, the first of which entered into force on 1 March 2021. These requirements apply to welding equipment, refrigerators, freezers, wine cabinets, washing machines, dishwashers, televisions, electronic displays, commercial refrigeration equipment with sales functions and light sources.  It is very likely that there will be requirements concerning the improvement of repairability that will apply to other product groups in the coming years. The following requirements have been set for different electrical product groups:

      • The light sources should be primarily interchangeable.
      • Certain spare parts must always be available. The regulation for the product group includes a more detailed list of the parts.
      • Spare parts must be replaceable without damaging the product.
      • Spare parts must be available for 7–10 years after the last product was placed on the market.
      • A list of spare parts, and how they can be purchased, should be available on an open website.
      • Spare parts must be delivered within 15 working days of the order.
      • Sufficient information must be available for the repair, maintenance and dismantling of the appliance.
      • Upgrades to product software must be available for 7–10 years after the products were placed on the market.

      For more information, visit the ekosuunnittelu.info website.

       


◄RoHS
►Energy labelling