Main takeaways

• Many  of  the  difficulties inherent  in  recycling  and remanufacture  arises  from  the  fact  that  most  products  are  not  designed  with  such  processes in  mind.
• In  Europe,  sustainable  product  policies  and  design  recommendations  for  re-use  and  remanufacture  are  incorporated  in  the  EU  Ecolabel,  Green  Public  Procurement and  the  Eco-design  of  Energy-Related  Products (ErP) directives.
• The  EU  Ecolabel identifies  products  and  services  that  have  a  reduced environmental  impact  throughout  their  life  cycle,  from  the  extraction  of  raw  material  through to  production,  use  and  disposal.
• The ERP directive  defines  mandatory requirements  for  the environmentally  friendly  design  of  energy-using  products  and  energy-related  products  placed on  the  EU  market.
• Green Public Procurement sees Europe’s  public  authorities  using  their  purchasing  power  to  choose environmentally  friendly  goods,  services  and  works,  thereby making an  important  contribution to  sustainable  consumption  and  production.

Some extra reading, in case you’d like to explore this topic further:

• Design for Disassembly Criteria in EU Product Policies for a More Circular Economy
• Briefing on the EU Product Policy Framework
• Energy Efficient Products
• Related EU Legislation