A regulation on eco-design, another on packaging and packaging waste, a directive on sustainability reporting. This is just the tip of the iceberg of sustainability regulations that the European Union (EU) created during the last legislative period under the umbrella of the European Green Deal. Now, in June 2024, the composition of the European Parliament was re-elected – with a clear shift to the right in the results. Will the new composition mean that, like the icebergs in the Arctic, the mountain of sustainability regulations will also melt away?
In the vote on the Commission presidency on 18 July 2024, Ursula von der Leyen was re-elected Commission President by Parliament, meaning that a key figure who was instrumental in driving forward the Green Deal remains in power. Thus, adherence to the Green Deal should be a given. It is therefore worth taking a closer look at it and gaining an understanding of the framework in which the last laws were passed and new regulations will emerge.
The European Green Deal
The Green Deal was adopted by the EU Council in June 2021 in the form of the European Climate Law. Since then, the Union has been pursuing three major goals: Firstly – to reduce net emissions of greenhouse gases to zero by 2050, with these already being reduced by at least 55% by 2030 compared to 1990 levels. Secondly, economic growth is to be decoupled from resource consumption. And finally, the aim is to leave no people or places behind during the transformation.
Image: Sectors and associated actions of the Green Deal
The graphic above shows how the EU is promoting sustainability within nine sectors: Climate, Energy, Environment and Oceans, Agriculture, Transport, Industry, Research and Development, Financing and Regional Development and the Construction sector comprise the Green Deal. Within each sector, actions are defined in the form of action plans, strategies and programmes, which in turn can also apply across sectors. New laws are created or revised within the actions.
It is particularly worthwhile for the medical technology sector to gain an overview of the following sectors:
- The sectors Environment and Oceans and Industry have a major influence on the design, production and handling of products and are shaped by the Circular Economy Action Plan, the Chemical Strategy for Sustainability, the Zero Pollution Action Plan and the Waste and Recycling and Sustainable Batteries programmes, among others.
- The programme on fluorinated greenhouse gases, which recently saw the revision of the F-Gas Regulation, can be assigned to the Climate sector.
- The sector Financing and regional development is associated with the sustainable finance programme, among other things. The programme includes the development of the EU taxonomy, the emissions trading system, sustainability reporting and climate labelling.
With the climate protection package “Fit For 55 – Delivering the European Green Deal” from 2023, the Commission is aiming to achieve the emissions reduction target of 55% by 2030. Within the package, emission reduction targets were set for a wide range of sectors. The biodiversity strategy pursues the goal of promoting natural carbon sinks. Furthermore, an updated Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) will be introduced to limit emissions, price pollution and promote investment in the green transition.
With the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, a carbon price must be paid in future for imported products from the relevant sectors on an equivalent basis to products traded in the member states. In addition, carbon pricing will be extended to the aviation and maritime sectors as well as to fuels for buildings and transport. Also included in the package is the Green Deal Industrial Plan, which aims to create faster access to finance, improve skills and facilitate open and fair trade for resilient supply chains. Finally, the aim of a predictable and simplified regulatory environment is also being pursued – an industry sentiment check is enough to understand the extent to which this has been achieved so far.
Massive impact on the product – the circular economy action plan
The Circular Economy Action Plan plays a central role in the Green Deal, so we would like to take a closer look at it. The plan aims to achieve a carbon-neutral, environmentally sustainable and pollution-free circular economy by 2050. The EU wants to make sustainable products the norm, empower consumers and public buyers, focus on resource-intensive sectors, reduce waste and make the circular economy accessible to all. The EU also aims to be at the forefront of global efforts towards a circular economy. To realise these goals, seven key sectors for the circular economy have been defined:
- Plastics: Reducing the use of microplastics is a key goal in minimising the environmental impact of plastic waste.
- Textiles: In view of the high consumption of resources and the low recycling rate of less than one per cent, textile products should be durable, recyclable and free from hazardous substances by 2030, as well as having a higher proportion of recycled fibres.
- Electronics: In order to counter the rapidly growing waste stream of electronic products, the reusability and reparability of electronic products is being promoted in the EU.
- Food, water and nutrients: Food waste is to be halved by 2030 in order to increase resource efficiency.
- Packaging: In view of the average 189 kg of packaging waste per person in 2021, the regulations for packaging and packaging waste will be revised.
- Batteries and vehicles: New regulations are intended to ensure that batteries are manufactured with the lowest possible environmental impact and in compliance with high social and ecological standards.
- Construction industry and buildings: As the construction industry accounts for over 35 per cent of all waste generated in the EU, measures are being introduced to extend the lifespan of buildings, reduce the carbon footprint of materials and introduce minimum requirements for resource and energy efficiency.
From November 2022 to March 2023, three packages of measures were adopted within the action plan, which initiated various legislative procedures. These included the revision of the regulations on persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in order to reduce hazardous chemicals in waste and production processes. The Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) was also developed and has replaced previous ecodesign regulations since July 2024. Furthermore, a monitoring framework for the circular economy has been revised to monitor the material footprint and resource productivity and ensure that EU consumption is within planetary boundaries.
Consumer regulations banning greenwashing in marketing have been updated and an EU-wide certification system for CO2 reductions has been introduced. The legislative process for the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), for example, is at an advanced stage but has not been finalised yet.
A strategy for sustainable chemicals
Even though chemicals are already partially regulated in the previous action plan, the EU’s chemicals strategy places a much broader focus on the use of hazardous chemicals in order to reduce their use and ensure that they are safe and sustainable throughout their life cycle. Another focus is on considering the mixed effects of chemicals. When assessing the risks posed by chemicals, not only individual substances but also their combined effects on health and the environment are analysed.
However, the EU not only bans the use of hazardous chemicals, but also promotes the development of safe and sustainable chemicals through special funding programmes to strengthen the resilience and sustainability of the supply of critical chemicals. This should reduce dependencies and ensure a stable supply. A simpler process for risk and hazard assessment of chemicals is being introduced through the principle of “one substance – one assessment” to make processes more efficient and transparent.
At a global level, the EU strives to play a leading role by setting and promoting high standards in chemicals management. A central component of these efforts is the ban on the export of chemicals banned in the EU in order to strengthen international environmental and health standards.
To realise these goals, the Commission is working on the revision of various pieces of legislation, some of which have already been completed:
- Revision of the Regulation on Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH)
- Revision of the legislation on the Classification, Labelling and Packaging of chemicals (CLP)
- Revision of EU regulations for Food Contact Materials (FCM)
- Revision of the Industrial Emissions Directive (IED)
- PFAS restriction procedure (not finalised yet)
In this article, we would like to give you an overview of the structure of the European Green Deal so that you can gain an understanding of the reasons behind the great number of new legislations that is emerging around us. However, we don’t want to stop at this overview. In the coming weeks, we will give you a deeper insight into some of the above-mentioned legislations and explain how they place new demands on medical technology.
Do you already have questions about the EU’s sustainability legislation? Feel free to contact us – our interdisciplinary sustainability team can provide you with expert advice.
Please note that all details and listings do not claim to be complete, are without guarantee and are for information purposes only.
