Wat denkt onze sector over de vernietiging van onverkochte consumentenproducten?

Voorstel van Europese verordening betreffende ecodesign voor duurzame producten

Op 30 maart 2022 zal de Europese Commissie haar voorstel voor een verordening betreffende ecodesign voor duurzame producten publiceren. Ondertussen is er een ontwerp van dit document gelekt (zie artikel).

Deze verordening zal een kader bieden voor het opstellen van ecodesign-verplichtingen voor tal van productgroepen door de Europese Commissie. Na de publicatie van het voorstel op 30 oktober zal het de klassieke regelgevende procedure doorlopen die gewoonlijk 1 à 2 jaar in beslag neemt.

Vernietiging van onverkochte consumentenproducten

Één van de bepalingen in het ontwerp die een impact kan hebben op onze sector zijn de informatieplichten en potentiële verboden voor de vernietiging van onverkochte consumentenproducten. 

We werken graag proactief. Laat ons weten via de comments of per e-mail wat jullie denken van deze potentiële nieuwe verplichting.

De tekst uit het ontwerp (pas op 30 maart krijgen we het definitieve voorstel):

Article 19

1. An economic operator that discards unsold consumer products, including when doing so on behalf of another economic operator, shall disclose:

(a) the number of unsold consumer products discarded per year differentiated per type or category of products;

(b) the reasons for the discarding of products; and

(c) the delivery of discarded products to preparing for re-use, remanufacturing, recycling, energy recovery and disposal operations in accordance with the waste hierarchy as defined by Article 4 of Directive 2008/98/EC.

The economic operator shall disclose this information on a freely accessible website or otherwise make it publicly available until a delegated act starts applying to the category of unsold consumer products destroyed by the operator in question, in accordance with paragraph 2.

The obligation referred to in the first subparagraph shall not apply to small and medium sized - enterprises. However, the Commission is empowered to adopt a delegated act in accordance with Article 64 to extend the obligation to small and medium sized enterprises.

The Commission may adopt implementing acts specifying the details and format for the disclosure of the information referred to in the first subparagraph, including the type or category and how this information is to be verified.

Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 65(3).

2. Economic operators shall not intentionally damage unsold consumer products with a view to destroying them.

3. In order to prevent the generation of waste, the Commission shall be empowered to adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 64 to prohibit economic operators to destroy unsold consumer products in the Union.

4. The delegated acts referred to in paragraph 2 may define exemptions to the prohibition to ensure it does not have a disproportionate negative effect on economic operators, allowing the destruction of unsold consumer products:

(a) in view of health and safety concerns;

(b) in view of damage to such products;

(c) in case the product has been refused for donation, preparing for re-use or remanufacturing; or

(d) by small- and medium-sized enterprises.

5. Where unsold consumer products are destroyed under an exemption pursuant to paragraph 3, the responsible economic operator shall disclose on a freely accessible website:

(a) the number of unsold consumer products destroyed;

(b) the reasons for their destruction, referring to the applicable exemption.

(c) the delivery of the products destroyed to recycling, energy recovery and disposal operations in accordance with the waste hierarchy as defined by Article 4 of Directive 2008/98/EC.

This obligation shall not apply to small and medium-sized enterprises, unless such obligations are introduced by way of a delegated act under the third subparagraph of paragraph 1.

The details and format for the disclosure of information provided in the implementing act referred to in the fourth subparagraph of paragraph 1 shall apply to the information to be disclosed pursuant to this paragraph, unless the applicable delegated act referred to in paragraph 2 provides otherwise.