Ecolabeling electrical and electronic goods

By Gérard SALOMMEZ
En sa qualité, lors de la rédaction de cet article, de Vice-président de la Fédération des industries électriques, électroniques et de communication (FIEEC), en charge de la branche « Biens de consommation durables »

For nearly twenty years now, the environmental characteristics of products have been a driving force in innovation for the makers of electrical and electronic goods. These manufacturers have developed procedures for ecodesign mainly based on analyzing a product’s lifecycle. The first EU directives, issued in 1992, focused on labels about the consumption of energy by appliances. Since then, ecolabeling has been oriented toward providing intelligible information about the environmental impact on the water supply, in terms of noise, etc. In branches of the economy where ecolabeling has been enforced for several years now, the market has been oriented toward better performing products with, as a consequence, a gradual improvement in the machines and appliances now in use. Manufacturers of electronic and electrical equipment have been very attentive to the experimentation with ecolabeling in France. Criticism of the methodology used raises questions about the reliability and intelligibility of the information intended for consumers. For the purpose of free and fair trading practices among all stakeholders, the FIEEC wants this discussion to be pursued at the EU level.