| Author (Corporate) | European Commission |
|---|---|
| Series Title | COM |
| Series Details | (2013) 196 final (9.4.13) |
| Publication Date | 09/04/2013 |
| Content Type | Policy-making, Report |
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The Resource Efficiency Roadmap set an ambitious milestone for 2020: providing the right incentives for citizens and public authorities to choose the most resource efficient products through appropriate price signals and clear environmental information. The Roadmap also recognised that the internal market has an important role in rewarding resource-efficient products. This initiative - "Building the Single Market for Green Products" – is an important step in this direction. The market uptake of resource efficient products is currently low despite the capacity of producers to provide such products and the increasing demand by consumers. There are barriers for both producers and consumers to supply and purchase these products, many of them stemming from the ambiguity of what constitutes truly a 'green' product and a 'green' organisation. This Commission initiative is a step towards removing this ambiguity by improving the way how environmental performance of products and organisations is measured and communicated. The Commission Communication to the Council and the Parliament introduces two methods for measurement and a set of principles for communicating the environmental performance of products and organisations. It is accompanied by a Commission Recommendation that encourages Member States and the private sector to use these methods, as appropriate, ensuring that the normal functioning of the internal market is enhanced. This initiative proposes a testing phase during which stakeholders together with the Commission will assess the effectiveness of the methods proposed, and the feasibility of using them throughout the Single Market. The results of the testing phase will be subject to an independent peer review process which will also consider alternative methods. If the test phase is successful, the Commission will consult further with stakeholders on how best to secure the benefits of this initiative. Discussions will also be pursued with international partners on methodological development with a view to ensure the compatibility and synergies with other widely used methods. The objective of these actions is to allow and facilitate, in the medium term, a higher uptake of green products and of greener practices by companies in the EU market by contributing to the removal of potential barriers to the free circulation of green products in the Single Market. |
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| Source Link | Link to Main Source http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=COM:2013:196:FIN |
| Related Links |
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| Subject Categories | Environment |
| Countries / Regions | Europe |
