New ecological criteria under the EU Ecolabel scheme for furniture
The European Commission has recently adopted a new set of ecological criteria under the existing EU Ecolabel scheme for the following product groups: Furniture, Footwear and Computers.
In order to display the EU Ecolabel logo, manufacturers of footwear, furniture and computers (personal, notebook and tablet computers) will have to comply with strict requirements that focus on the environmental performance of the product, but also cover product safety and social aspects. In particular, the new criteria aims at aligning the EU Ecolabel with the principles set out in the Circular Economy package; supporting both sustainable production and consumption. Thanks to transparent ecological criteria, consumers can make conscious choices, without compromising on the quality of the products.
In the case of furniture, in addition to a mandate on producing products that are more durable and easier to repair, the new criteria require manufacturers to conduct a more comprehensive life cycle assessment, while paying special attention to the hazardous compounds and residues, which in some cases could contribute to indoor air pollution. Moreover, furniture items should carry an extended product guarantee (minimum five years) and that manufacturers must provide spare parts during that timeframe.
The criteria revision is valid for six years following its date of adoption.
Copy of the Commission Decision 2016/1332 establishing the ecological criteria for the award of the EU Ecolabel for furniture is available here:http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:32016D1332&from=EN
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