There will ultimately be no durability index on smartphones in Europe. Although this measure has been on the agenda of Brussels for many years, it has just been abandoned by the European Union in favor of a European energy/sustainability label project.
This whole story began in 2020, when the AGEC law was voted on in the French parliament. The latter provided for the establishment of a rating system for the durability of electronic devices to help consumers in their choices. But this project has just suffered its biggest setback.
Indeed, the European Union published strong criticism of this method last week. She criticizes the French authorities in particular for not taking into account certain energy factors in the design of smartphones, as well as the ecological footprint of the materials at the heart of the latter.
Faced with these remarks, the French authorities decided to ease up. In a letter addressed to Brussels, they announced that they would put an end to the procedures for promulgating the text in order to “take into account the Commission’s concerns in terms of the proper functioning of the internal market”.
A European index too lax?
But the arrival of a European index is far from attracting everyone in France. During a speech on the subject, the Ministry of Ecological Transition regrets the disappearance of the French project. He was judged as “complementary” and had a “broader spectrum of criteria.”
On the side of HOP, the association fighting against planned obsolescence, it’s a recipe for grimace. The arrival of this new labeling system on a European scale is really bad news. According to the members of the association, this European project is more greenwashing than real political will. The only positive point of this measure is its deployment on a European scale which should allow it to have more weight in negotiations with manufacturers and resellers.
If the French initiative was ready to be launched, it will therefore have to wait and comply with new European demands. If in a final appeal France tries to save the furniture, by proposing a “co-design” of this new label. But here again Brussels coldly rejects the Parisian proposals, recalling that France will have to comply with European laws when they are voted on.
By: Keleops AG
There will ultimately be no durability index on smartphones in Europe. Although this measure has been on the agenda of Brussels for many years, it has just been abandoned by the European Union in favor of a European energy/sustainability label project.
This whole story began in 2020, when the AGEC law was voted on in the French parliament. The latter provided for the establishment of a rating system for the durability of electronic devices to help consumers in their choices. But this project has just suffered its biggest setback.
Indeed, the European Union published strong criticism of this method last week. She criticizes the French authorities in particular for not taking into account certain energy factors in the design of smartphones, as well as the ecological footprint of the materials at the heart of the latter.
Faced with these remarks, the French authorities decided to ease up. In a letter addressed to Brussels, they announced that they would put an end to the procedures for promulgating the text in order to “take into account the Commission’s concerns in terms of the proper functioning of the internal market”.
A European index too lax?
But the arrival of a European index is far from attracting everyone in France. During a speech on the subject, the Ministry of Ecological Transition regrets the disappearance of the French project. He was judged as “complementary” and had a “broader spectrum of criteria.”
On the side of HOP, the association fighting against planned obsolescence, it’s a recipe for grimace. The arrival of this new labeling system on a European scale is really bad news. According to the members of the association, this European project is more greenwashing than real political will. The only positive point of this measure is its deployment on a European scale which should allow it to have more weight in negotiations with manufacturers and resellers.
If the French initiative was ready to be launched, it will therefore have to wait and comply with new European demands. If in a final appeal France tries to save the furniture, by proposing a “co-design” of this new label. But here again Brussels coldly rejects the Parisian proposals, recalling that France will have to comply with European laws when they are voted on.
By: Keleops AG