The European Union’s ecodesign and energy labelling schemes are in need of serious improvement, according to draft findings of a European Commission study released this week. The Commission is due to put forward a proposal to reform the schemes later this year.  

The EU’s ecodesign rules set mandatory ecological requirements for energy-using and energy-related products including lightbulbs, TVs, fridges and boilers. The EU’s energy-labelling rules standardise the labels on products which show how much energy they use on a scale from D to A+++.  

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The biggest failing of both schemes is in member state enforcement, the review found. It recommends that national governments increase their spending on market surveillance and increase penalties for non-compliant countries. The EU should set minimum standards for national surveillance, and fines, which currently differ greatly in scale and type, should be harmonised.  

The study characterises the ‘grade inflation’ of most products into the A to A+++ levels as undesirable, considering the confusion it causes consumers. But it does not recommend altering this scale, which saw the higher levels added after companies refused to accept a grade of B or C. Efforts should be made to aid consumer understanding of this system, the study says.  

An area of concern is the impact of the ecodesign requirements on small and medium-sized businesses, particularly for the phase-out of old lightbulbs that the rules required from 2009. But the study found that impacts on SMEs were generally positive because it guides them toward new niche markets.  

The Coolproducts campaign, which has lobbied for more EU action on energy efficiency in consumer products, welcomed the study’s findings.     “At the moment, the engine of the directive is far from tuned, and when measures are implemented at national level, they are quickly outpaced by market development, sometimes leaving the rules redundant,” said Jack Hunter from the campaign. “Overall, there are some solid recommendations in there to make the directives work harder for consumers and reward those businesses developing truly efficient products.”  

A consultation on the draft will be open to the public until 5 March, and the final review will be published in June.