The new Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) is a challenge for designers and companies: in particular, the digital product passport places high demands on the industry. We asked: In the second part of our series on the new ESPR.
by Martina Metzner
In the medical sector, where I design surgical lights for companies such as Dräger, Stryker and Evonos, durability has always been an important issue. For example, one of my examination lights has been installed in the neonatal unit of the Bürgerhospital in Frankfurt am Main since 1995. They are usually refurbished and then the work continues. Repairability is built into my designs from the outset, as many parts are screwed together. Everything is easy to take apart. Design today, and with the new ESPR, is all about care and responsibility. I also see myself as an environmentalist, representing the interests of future generations.
Olaf Barski, Designer and owner of Barski Design in Frankfurt am Main
Lisa Cerny, Ecodesign Researcher, also responsible for the German Federal Ecodesign Award at the Federal Environment Agency in Dessau
We are currently receiving many enquiries about ecodesign from consumers, companies and associations. The scope of the new ESPR is much broader than the previous Ecodesign Regulation – in terms of durability, repair and because it now applies to almost all product groups, not just energy-related. The associated digital product passport will be a major challenge for all companies. Our advice to companies is to start looking at their supply chains now, even if the product-specific requirements are still to come.
We are already massively affected by the existing Ecodesign Regulation. It is primarily a tool for the big players to keep smaller companies at bay. I can already see small, truly sustainable companies facing such massive bureaucratic hurdles that they will eventually collapse. A digital product passport that requires all the proof of raw materials and manufacturing, even for a small series of maybe a few hundred products, is disproportionate to the effort. Unfortunately, this tool, while well intentioned to make the world a better place, will contribute to the further disappearance of small businesses.
Manfred Wolf, Designer and managing owner of the lighting manufacturer Serien Lighting from Rodgau
Burkhard Remmers, Company spokesman for office furniture manufacturer Wilkhahn in Bad Münder
Following the HFG Ulm Manifesto of 1953, which aimed to increase usability and reduce waste, our ecological design concept focuses on durability and repairability. Since the 1990s, this has meant avoiding adhesives, using materials that are as pure and recyclable as possible, and manufacturing in a socially and environmentally responsible way. Office chair ranges such as FS and Modus have been part of our product range for many decades, as has a refurbishment and repair service. The ESPR and the digital product passport are therefore not a major hurdle for us, but will help us to strengthen customer loyalty through transparency.
Large companies are well advanced in developing roadmaps and products made from recycled materials. However, companies are still in the early stages of how to close the loop on a global scale, as this represents a complete change in the value chain. As part of the EU-funded CISUTAC programme, our team of designers and engineers has developed a ‘zip repair station’ in collaboration with Decathlon, Texaid and DKW. The damage is analysed using a digital process, making repairs more efficient. The ESPR is a good argument for us to push companies further.
Adrien Hobt, Managing director of PCH Innovations, a creative engineering company based in Berlin.
Nico Janssen, Business Development Director Carpet Technology at Object Carpet in Denkendorf
Our ‘Neoo’ and ‘Duo’ collections, made using our new ‘Niaga’ process, are prime examples of eco-design and circular economy – in other words, what the new ESPR calls for. This means that the different layers in the carpet collection are made up of a maximum of two types of material – polyester and polyamide (nylon). This means that these carpets can be recycled at a high level – not just shredded and used as stuffing. This has required us to redesign the product and the production process. We are also developing the take-back and recycling infrastructure for a closed loop. We have built this strategy around three pillars: ‘Keep it simple’, ‘Clean and infinite materials only’ and ‘Reversible compounds’.
At the moment there is a lot of talk about carbon footprints, but the issue of energy efficiency will become less relevant as more renewable energy is used, while the issue of resource consumption will become more relevant, i.e. as far as the new ESPR is concerned. For a circular economy, it is not enough to design equipment to be technically repairable, for example. There must also be services, repair services, information on the website and in the manuals, components must be kept in stock, etc. In addition to the ESPR, there are EU directives such as the Corporate Social Responsibility Directive (CSRD), the Green Claims Directive and the Digital Product Passport (DPP), which are part of the ESPR. Companies need to be well prepared.
Dr. Max Marwede, Head of Circular Design at the Fraunhofer Institute for Reliability and Microintegration (IZM) in Berlin
Florian Walbert, European Affairs Manager at BSH Hausgeräte based in Munich
For BSH Hausgeräte, the new ESPR is not really a big change because the old Ecodesign Regulation covers almost everything, including recycling. Our line of appliances are generally easy to repair. For some particularly sustainable products, we are working with increased recycled content in materials and the use of CO2-reduced steel. With ‘BlueMovement’, we have a circular business model in the Netherlands since 2017 and in Germany from 2021: All large household appliances and individual small appliances can be rented with a full service contract. With BlueMovement, you can also choose between a new or refurbished appliance. This has been well received by both private and business customers.
Further information:
- German Federal Environment Agency: The Ecodesign Kit is a portal, guide and toolbox for all aspects of ecodesign
- Cirpass project funded by the EU to prepare the Digital Product Passport (DPP) – project partners in Germany are the Federal Environment Agency, Fraunhofer IZM, Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM), Wuppertal Institute
- German Federal Environment Agency: Sector-specific supply chain recommendations
- German Federal Environment Agency: General recommendations for companies on climate adaptation
- German Federal Environment Agency: Study on how to embed ecological design in companies
- EU overview of the proposed Green Claims Directive
- Factsheet on the EU Green Claims Directive
About the Author
Martina Metzner is a design and architecture journalist with a focus on socio-ecological transformation. For her, good design and sustainability go hand in hand. After studying journalism, Italian philology and psychology, she worked in editorial departments for eleven years, first at TextilWirtschaft and then at Stylepark. Since 2018, she has been working as a freelancer for leading trade and consumer magazines and is head of the editorial team at the German Design Club.
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