Current situation
On 18 June 2003, the Commission adopted its Communication on Integrated Product Policy (IPP) opting for a more voluntary approach to greener products. EEB is relieved that the European Commission has finally published its next effort on Integrated Product Policy after a two year gestation period, but is extremely disappointed that it fails entirely to give the Community what it needs to create significant reductions in the environmental life-cycle burden of products and services.
The IPP Communication makes some small steps in the right direction compared to the Green Paper from February 2001 – namely putting resources behind product selection methodology and product pilot projects, and setting up Commission-run working groups and some steering mechanisms. It also commits to developing IPP indicators to asses environmental improvements, requiring member states to report on IPP implementation, and calling on Member States to draw up action plans on greening public procurement. However, it lacks its most vital component: a legislative platform on which to make effective use of these actions and any results thereof and to lay down a common vision on what concrete environmental objectives are trying to be achieved, and by when.
(See Press release: Commission fails to deliver ‘policy driver’ on IPP (18 June 2003)
What is the EEB doing?
One of the biggest challenges for sustainable development relates to production and consumption patterns and the environmental impact from the different stages of the life cycle of products. Traditional approaches of environmental policy are not sufficient to deal with these challenges as the products are becoming more complex and are made available through more complicated supply chains as well as rising overall consumption. It is clear that some form of Ecological Product Policy is required. The key political forum for Ecological Product Policy on the European level is the Integrated Product Policy discussion. Integrated Product Policy seeks to achieve significant reductions in the environmental life-cycle burden of products and promote innovation and manufacture of environmentally sound products.
There are two fundamental views on what a European Integrated Product Policy can do. One view perceives it as a new wave of voluntary action and as a mere streamlining exercise making the different pieces of product legislation more consistent. The other sees it as a necessary push for a neglected policy field, which is applying various instruments in order to minimise the environmental impact of products through their design and function. This requires the shift from the product to the function focus and achieving quantitative environmental targets. The EEB supports and promotes the latter concept.
As part of the product policy campaign, the EEB also officially represents the Environmental NGOs at EU level in the EU Ecolabelling Scheme – see EEB and The Flower.
The EEB is also a member of the European citizens Organisation for Standardisation (ECOS) aimed at greening the standardisation process and counteracting the potentially negative effect of the move towards soft environmental regulations.
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