Directive’s objectives
The European Directive ErP (Energy related Products) 2009/125/EC dates of 21st October 2009. It repeals the previous Directive 2005/32/EC: EuP and was transposed into French law in June 28th, 2011.
To improve energy efficiency and environmental protection, ErP Directive which is an European legislation, as part of CE marking applies to products that affect energy consumption throughout their life cycle, from manufacture, use, and until their end of life. This directive does not apply to transportations (persons or goods).
However, this Directive does not introduce directly binding requirements for specific product categories, but rather outlines the conditions and criteria relating to environmental characteristics of products, such as energy and water waste, or lifespan, so they can be improved quickly and efficiently.
This directive encourages manufacturers and / or importers to offer products designed to reduce their overall impact on the environment, including the resources consumed during manufacture and disposal.
Criteria
ErP Directive applies to energy-related products. These products must meet the following criteria:
- Be sold over 200,000 units per year in the European Union;
- Have a significant environmental impact;
- Have a potential for improvement.
Concerned products
An energy related product is a product which has an impact on energy consumption (electricity, fossil fuels and renewable energy sources) during use. This also includes products (components and subassemblies) that allow generation, transfer and measurement of such energy. ErP Directive sets out requirements that energy related products, covered by implementing measures, must fulfil to be marketed and / or put into service.
Section 16 of the Directive on the eco-design requires the European Community to establish an action plan setting out for three years an indicative list of other product groups to be considered as priorities for the adoption of implementing measures. Under this plan, an evaluation was conducted by a study group of the European parliamentary technology assessment network (EPTA, Greece).
« The enforcement actions taken to implement Article 15 of Directive 2009/125 / EC of the European Parliament and Council of 21 October 2009 establishing a framework for the setting of eco-design requirements applicable to energy-related products are:
1° COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) No 1275/2008 of 17 December 2008 implementing Directive 2005/32/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council with regard to ecodesign requirements for standby and off mode electric power consumption of electrical and electronic household and office equipment;
2° COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) No 107/2009 of 4 February 2009 implementing Directive 2005/32/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council with regard to ecodesign requirements for simple set-top boxes;
3° COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) No 859/2009 of 18 September 2009 amending Regulation (EC) No 244/2009 as regards the ecodesign requirements on ultraviolet radiation of non-directional household lamps;
4° COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) No 245/2009 of 18 March 2009 implementing Directive 2005/32/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council with regard to ecodesign requirements for fluorescent lamps without integrated ballast, for high intensity discharge lamps, and for ballasts and luminaires able to operate such lamps, and repealing Directive 2000/55/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council;
5° COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) No 278/2009 of 6 April 2009 implementing Directive 2005/32/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council with regard to ecodesign requirements for no-load condition electric power consumption and average active efficiency of external power supplies;
6° COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) No 640/2009 of 22 July 2009 implementing Directive 2005/32/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council with regard to ecodesign requirements for electric motors;
7° COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) No 641/2009 of 22 July 2009 implementing Directive 2005/32/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council with regard to ecodesign requirements for glandless standalone circulators and glandless circulators integrated in products;
8° COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) No 642/2009 of 22 July 2009 implementing Directive 2005/32/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council with regard to ecodesign requirements for televisions;
9° COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) No 643/2009 of 22 July 2009 implementing Directive 2005/32/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council with regard to ecodesign requirements for household refrigerating appliances;
10° COMMISSION REGULATION (EU) No 1015/2010 of 10 November 2010 implementing Directive 2009/125/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council with regard to ecodesign requirements for household washing machines;
11° COMMISSION REGULATION (EU) No 1016/2010 of 10 November 2010 implementing Directive 2009/125/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council with regard to ecodesign requirements for household dishwashers. »
Section 4: Products that have an impact on energy consumption, of Chapter IV of Title II of Book II of the French Environmental Code. Available at http://www.legifrance.gouv.fr
Responsibilities
Manufacturers and importers are responsible for their products for compliance with requirements of the ErP directive. Manufacturers must ensure that energy-related products covered by implementing measures may be put on the market and / or put into service only if they comply with these measures and bear the CE marking.
For example Regulation No 642/2009 of the Commission on 22 July, 2009 specifies the requirements for eco-design of televisions. Among these requirements, one of them relates to energy consumption in standby mode:
« The power consumption of televisions in a situation where only a reactivation function is provided, or reactivation function and a simple indication that the reactivation function is enabled, does not exceed 0.50 watt. »
If the manufacturer is not established within the Community and in the absence of representative, the obligation to ensure that the EuP placed on the market or put into service complies with Directive ErP, lies to the importer.
References
– Official journal of the European union. Directive 2005/32/EC of the European parliament and of the Council.
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2005:191:0029:0029:EN:PDF
– Commission regulation (EC) no 642/2009 of 22 July 2009 implementing directive 2005/32/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council with regard to ecodesign requirements for televisions.
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2009:191:0042:0052:EN:PDF
РEuro Info Centre of Strasbourg. C̩cile COYEZ. Ecodesign Synthesis of the new Directive 2005/32 EC. August 2005. Рfrench
– Bureau Veritas. Newsletter, Get ready for directive EuP about ecodesign of energy consuming products. – french
– Farnell and Era Technology. Directive concerning products. April 2009.
http://fr.farnell.com/images/fr_FR/rohs/pdf/eup_directive_v6_apr09_fr.pdf. – french
– http://www.cfsd.org.uk/seeba/EuP/eup.htm
– http://www.eceee.org/Eco_design/products