REGULATION (EC) No 66/2010 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL
of 25 November 2009
on the EU Ecolabel
(Text with EEA relevance)
THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community, and in particular Article 175(1) thereof,
Having regard to the proposal from the Commission,
Having regard to the opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee (1),
Having regard to the opinion of the Committee of the Regions (2),
Acting in accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 251 of the Treaty (3),
Whereas:
(1)
The aim of Regulation (EC) No 1980/2000 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 July 2000 on a revised Community eco-label award scheme (4) was to establish a voluntary ecolabel award scheme intended to promote products with a reduced environmental impact during their entire life cycle and to provide consumers with accurate, non-deceptive, science-based information on the environmental impact of products.
(2)
The experience gained during the implementation of Regulation (EC) No 1980/2000 has shown the need to amend that ecolabel scheme in order to increase its effectiveness and streamline its operation.
(3)
The amended scheme (hereinafter ‘the EU Ecolabel scheme’) should be implemented in compliance with the provisions of the Treaties, including, in particular, the precautionary principle as laid down in Article 174(2) of the EC Treaty.
(4)
It is necessary to ensure coordination between the EU Ecolabel scheme and the establishment of the requirements in the context of Directive 2009/125/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21 October 2009 establishing a framework for the setting of ecodesign requirements for energy related products (5).
(5)
The EU Ecolabel scheme is part of the sustainable consumption and production policy of the Community, which aims at reducing the negative impact of consumption and production on the environment, health, climate and natural resources. The scheme is intended to promote those products which have a high level of environmental performance through the use of the EU Ecolabel. To this effect, it is appropriate to require that the criteria with which products must comply in order to bear the EU Ecolabel be based on the best environmental performance achieved by products on the Community market. Those criteria should be simple to understand and to use and should be based on scientific evidence, taking into consideration the latest technological developments. Those criteria should be market oriented and limited to the most significant environmental impacts of products during their whole life cycle.
(6)
In order to avoid the proliferation of environmental labelling schemes and to encourage higher environmental performance in all sectors for which environmental impact is a factor in consumer choice, the possibility of using the EU Ecolabel should be extended. However, for food and feed product groups, a study should be undertaken to ensure that criteria are feasible and that added value can be guaranteed. For food and feed products, as well as unprocessed agricultural products that lie within the scope of Council Regulation (EC) No 834/2007 of 28 June 2007 on organic production and labelling of organic products (6), the option that only those products certified as organic would be eligible for award of the EU Ecolabel should be considered, to avoid confusion for consumers.
(7)
The EU Ecolabel should aim at substituting hazardous substances by safer substances, wherever technically possible.
(8)
For the acceptance by the general public of the EU Ecolabel scheme, it is essential that environmental non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and consumer organisations play an important role and be actively involved in the development and setting of EU Ecolabel criteria.
(9)
It is desirable that any interested party may lead the development or revision of EU Ecolabel criteria provided that common procedural rules are followed and that the process is coordinated by the Commission. In order to ensure the overall coherence of the Community's action, it is also appropriate to require that the latest strategic objectives of the Community in the field of the environment, such as Environment Action Programmes, Sustainable Development Strategies and Climate Change Programmes, be taken into account in the development or revision of EU Ecolabel criteria.
(10)
In order to simplify the EU Ecolabel scheme and to reduce the administrative burden associated with the use of the EU Ecolabel, the assessment and verification procedures should be streamlined.
(11)
It is appropriate to provide for the conditions under which the EU Ecolabel may be used and, in order to ensure compliance with those conditions, to require competent bodies to undertake verifications and to prohibit the use of the EU Ecolabel where the conditions for use have not been complied with. It is also appropriate to require Member States to lay down the rules on penalties applicable to infringements of this Regulation and to ensure that they are implemented.
(12)
In order to increase the use of the EU Ecolabel and in order to encourage those whose products meet the EU Ecolabel criteria, the costs of using the EU Ecolabel should be reduced.
(13)
It is necessary to inform the public and to raise public awareness of the EU Ecolabel through promotion actions, information and education campaigns, at local, national and Community levels, in order to make consumers aware of the meaning of the EU Ecolabel and to enable them to make informed choices. It is also necessary in order to make the scheme more attractive to producers and retailers.
(14)
Member States should consider guidelines when they establish their national Green Public Procurement Action Plans and could consider the setting of targets for public purchasing of environmental friendly products.
(15)
In order to facilitate the marketing of products bearing environmental labels at national and Community levels, to limit additional work for companies, in particular SMEs, and to avoid confusing consumers, it is also necessary to enhance the coherence and promote harmonisation between the EU Ecolabel scheme and national ecolabelling schemes in the Community.
(16)
In order to ensure a harmonised application of the awarding system and of the market surveillance and control of the use of the EU Ecolabel throughout the Community, competent bodies should exchange information and experiences.
(17)
The measures necessary for the implementation of this Regulation should be adopted in accordance with Council Decision 1999/468/EC of 28 June 1999 laying down the procedures for the exercise of implementing powers conferred on the Commission (7).
(18)
In particular, the Commission should be empowered to adopt the criteria with which products must comply in order to bear the EU Ecolabel and to amend the Annexes to this Regulation. Since those measures are of general scope and are designed to amend non-essential elements of this Regulation, inter alia by supplementing it with new non-essential elements, they must be adopted in accordance with the regulatory procedure with scrutiny provided for in Article 5a of Decision 1999/468/EC.
(19)
For reasons of clarity and legal certainty, Regulation (EC) No 1980/2000 should therefore be replaced by this Regulation.
(20)
Appropriate transitional provisions should be provided to ensure a smooth transition between Regulation (EC) No 1980/2000 and this Regulation,
HAVE ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:
Article 1
Subject matter
This Regulation lays down rules for the establishment and application of the voluntary EU Ecolabel scheme.
Article 2
Scope
1. This Regulation shall apply to any goods or services which are supplied for distribution, consumption or use on the Community market whether in return for payment or free of charge (hereinafter ‘products’).
2. This Regulation shall apply neither to medicinal products for human use, as defined in Directive 2001/83/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 6 November 2001 on the Community code relating to medicinal products for human use (8), or for veterinary use, as defined in Directive 2001/82/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 6 November 2001 on the Community code relating to veterinary medicinal products (9), nor to any type of medical device.
Article 3
Definitions
For the purposes of this Regulation, the following definitions shall apply:
1.
‘product group’ means a set of products that serve similar purposes and are similar in terms of use, or have similar functional properties, and are similar in terms of consumer perception;
2.
‘operator’ means any producer, manufacturer, importer, service provider, wholesaler or retailer;
3.
‘environmental impact’ means any change to the environment resulting wholly or partially from a product during its life cycle;
4.
‘environmental performance’ means the result of a manufacturer's management of those characteristics of a product that cause environmental impact;
5.
‘verification’ means a procedure to certify that a product complies with specified EU Ecolabel criteria.
Article 4
Competent bodies
1. Each Member State shall designate the body or bodies, within government ministries or outside, responsible for carrying out the tasks provided for in this Regulation (‘the competent body’ or ‘the competent bodies’) and ensure that they are operational. Where more than one competent body is designated, the Member State shall determine those bodies’ respective powers and the coordination requirements applicable to them.
2. The composition of the competent bodies shall be such as to guarantee their independence and neutrality and their rules of procedure shall be such as to ensure transparency in the conduct of their activities as well as the involvement of all interested parties.
3. Member States shall ensure that competent bodies meet the requirements laid down in Annex V.
4. Competent bodies shall ensure that the verification process is carried out in a consistent, neutral and reliable manner by a party independent from the operator being verified, based on international, European or national standards and procedures concerning bodies operating product-certification schemes.
Article 5
European Union Ecolabelling Board
1. The Commission shall establish a European Union Ecolabelling Board (EUEB) consisting of the representatives of the competent bodies of all the Member States, as referred to in Article 4, and of other interested parties. The EUEB shall elect its president according to its rules of procedure. It shall contribute to the development and revision of EU Ecolabel criteria and to any review of the implementation of the EU Ecolabel scheme. It shall also provide the Commission with advice and assistance in these areas and, in particular, issue recommendations on minimum environmental performance requirements.
2. The Commission shall ensure that, in the conduct of its activities, the EUEB observes a balanced participation of all relevant interested parties in respect of each product group, such as competent bodies, producers, manufacturers, importers, service providers, wholesalers, retailers, notably SMEs, and environmental protection groups and consumer organisations.
Article 6
General requirements for EU Ecolabel criteria
1. EU Ecolabel criteria shall be based on the environmental performance of products, taking into account the latest strategic objectives of the Community in the field of the environment.
2. EU Ecolabel criteria shall set out the environmental requirements that a product must fulfil in order to bear the EU Ecolabel.
3. EU Ecolabel criteria shall be determined on a scientific basis considering the whole life cycle of products. In determining such criteria, the following shall be considered:
(a)
the most significant environmental impacts, in particular the impact on climate change, the impact on nature and biodiversity, energy and resource consumption, generation of waste, emissions to all environmental media, pollution through physical effects and use and release of hazardous substances;
(b)
the substitution of hazardous substances by safer substances, as such or via the use of alternative materials or designs, wherever it is technically feasible;
(c)
the potential to reduce environmental impacts due to durability and reusability of products;
(d)
the net environmental balance between the environmental benefits and burdens, including health and safety aspects, at the various life stages of the products;
(e)
where appropriate, social and ethical aspects, e.g. by making reference to related international conventions and agreements such as relevant ILO standards and codes of conduct;
(f)
criteria established for other environmental labels, particularly officially recognised, nationally or regionally, EN ISO 14024 type I environmental labels, where they exist for that product group so as to enhance synergies;
(g)
as far as possible the principle of reducing animal testing.
4. EU Ecolabel criteria shall include requirements intended to ensure that the products bearing the EU Ecolabel function adequately in accordance with their intended use.
5. Before developing EU Ecolabel criteria for food and feed products, as defined in Regulation (EC) No 178/2002 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 28 January 2002 laying down the general principles and requirements of food law, establishing the European Food Safety Authority and laying down procedures in matters of food safety (10), the Commission shall undertake a study, by 31 December 2011 at the latest, exploring the feasibility of establishing reliable criteria covering environmental performance during the whole life cycle of such products, including the products of fishing and aquaculture. The study should pay particular attention to the impact of any EU Ecolabel criteria on food and feed products, as well as unprocessed agricultural products that lie within the scope of Regulation (EC) No 834/2007. The study should consider the option that only those products certified as organic would be eligible for award of the EU Ecolabel, to avoid confusion for consumers.
The Commission shall decide, taking into account the outcome of the study and the opinion of the EUEB, for which group of food and feed, if any, the development of EU Ecolabel criteria is feasible, in accordance with the regulatory procedure with scrutiny referred to in Article 16(2).
6. The EU Ecolabel may not be awarded to goods containing substances or preparations/mixtures meeting the criteria for classification as toxic, hazardous to the environment, carcinogenic, mutagenic or toxic for reproduction (CMR), in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 December 2008 on classification, labelling and packaging of substances and mixtures (11), nor to goods containing substances referred to in Article 57 of Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 December 2006 concerning the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH), establishing a European Chemicals Agency (12).
7. For specific categories of goods containing substances referred to in paragraph 6, and only in the event that it is not technically feasible to substitute them as such, or via the use of alternative materials or designs, or in the case of products which have a significantly higher overall environment performance compared with other goods of the same category, the Commission may adopt measures to grant derogations from paragraph 6. No derogation shall be given concerning substances that meet the criteria of Article 57 of Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 and that are identified according to the procedure described in Article 59(1) of that Regulation, present in mixtures, in an article or in any homogeneous part of a complex article in concentrations higher than 0,1 % (weight by weight). Those measures, designed to amend non-essential elements of this Regulation, shall be adopted in accordance with the regulatory procedure with scrutiny referred to in Article 16(2).
Article 7
Development and revision of EU Ecolabel criteria
1. Following consultation of the EUEB, the Commission, Member States, competent bodies and other stakeholders may initiate and lead the development or revision of EU Ecolabel criteria. Where such other stakeholders are put in charge of leading the development of criteria, they must demonstrate expertise in the product area, as well as the ability to lead the process with neutrality and in line with the aims of this Regulation. In this regard, consortiums consisting of more than one interest group shall be favoured.
The party which initiates and leads the development or revision of EU Ecolabel criteria shall, in accordance with the procedure set out in Part A of Annex I, produce the following documents:
(a)
a preliminary report;
(b)
a proposal for draft criteria;
(c)
a technical report in support of the proposal for draft criteria;
(d)
a final report;
(e)
a manual for potential users of the EU Ecolabel and competent bodies;
(f)
a manual for authorities awarding public contracts.
Those documents shall be submitted to the Commission and to the EUEB.
2. Where criteria have already been developed under another ecolabel scheme complying with the requirements of EN ISO 14024 type I environmental labels for a product group for which no EU Ecolabel criteria have been established, any Member State in which the other ecolabel scheme is recognised may, after consulting the Commission and the EUEB, propose those criteria for development under the EU Ecolabel scheme.
In such cases, the shortened criteria development procedure laid down in Part B of Annex I may apply provided that the proposed criteria have been developed in line with Part A of Annex I. Either the Commission or the Member State which, according to the first subparagraph, has proposed the shortened criteria development procedure shall lead that procedure.
3. Where a non-substantial revision of the criteria is necessary, the shortened revision procedure laid down in Part C of Annex I may apply.
4. By 19 February 2011, the EUEB and the Commission shall agree on a working plan including a strategy and a non-exhaustive list of product groups. This plan will consider other Community action (e.g. in the field of green public procurement) and may be updated according to the latest strategic objectives of the Community in the field of the environment. This plan shall be regularly updated.
Article 8
Establishment of EU Ecolabel criteria
1. Draft EU Ecolabel criteria shall be developed in accordance with the procedure laid down in Annex I and taking into account the working plan.
2. The Commission shall, no later than nine months after consulting the EUEB, adopt measures to establish specific EU Ecolabel criteria for each product group. These measures shall be published in the Official Journal of the European Union.
In its final proposal, the Commission shall take into account the comments of the EUEB and shall clearly highlight, document and provide explanations for the reasoning behind any changes in its final proposal compared to the proposal for draft criteria following the consultation of the EUEB.
Those measures, designed to amend non-essential elements of this Regulation, by supplementing it, shall be adopted in accordance with the regulatory procedure with scrutiny referred to in Article 16(2).
3. In the measures referred to in paragraph 2 the Commission shall:
(a)
establish requirements for assessing the compliance of specific products with EU Ecolabel criteria (‘assessment requirements’);
(b)
specify, for each product group, three key environmental characteristics that may be displayed in the optional label with text box described in Annex II;
(c)
specify, for each product group, the relevant period of validity of the criteria and of the assessment requirements;
(d)
specify the degree of product variability allowed during the period of validity referred to in point (c).
4. When establishing EU Ecolabel criteria, care shall be taken not to introduce measures whose implementation may impose disproportionate administrative and economic burdens on SMEs.
Article 9
Award of the EU Ecolabel and terms and conditions of its use
1. Any operator who wishes to use the EU Ecolabel shall apply to the competent bodies referred to in Article 4 in accordance with the following rules:
(a)
where a product originates in a single Member State, the application shall be presented to a competent body of that Member State;
(b)
where a product originates in the same form in several Member States, the application may be presented to a competent body in one of those Member States;
(c)
where a product originates outside the Community, the application shall be presented to a competent body in any of the Member States in which the product is to be or has been placed on the market.
2. The EU Ecolabel shall have the form depicted in Annex II.
The EU Ecolabel may only be used in connection with products complying with the EU Ecolabel criteria applicable to the products concerned and for which the EU Ecolabel has been awarded.
3. Applications shall specify the full contact details of the operator, as well as the product group in question and shall contain a full description of the product as well as all other information requested by the competent body.
Applications shall include all relevant documentation, as specified in the relevant Commission measure establishing EU Ecolabel criteria for the product group in question.
4. The competent body to which an application is made shall charge fees according to Annex III. The use of the EU Ecolabel shall be conditional upon the fees having been paid in due time.
5. Within two months of receipt of an application, the competent body concerned shall check whether the documentation is complete and shall notify the operator. The competent body may reject the application if the operator fails to complete the documentation within six months after such notification.
Provided that the documentation is complete and the competent body has verified that the product complies with the EU Ecolabel criteria and assessment requirements published according to Article 8, the competent body shall assign a registration number to the product.
Operators shall meet the costs of testing and assessment of conformity with EU Ecolabel criteria. Operators may be charged for travel and accommodation costs where an on-site verification is needed outside the Member State in which the competent body is based.
6. Where EU Ecolabel criteria require production facilities to meet certain requirements, they shall be met in all facilities in which the product bearing the EU Ecolabel is manufactured. Where appropriate, the competent body shall undertake on-site verifications or assign an authorised agent for that purpose.
7. Competent bodies shall preferentially recognise tests which are accredited according to ISO 17025 and verifications performed by bodies which are accredited under the EN 45011 standard or an equivalent international standard. Competent bodies shall collaborate in order to ensure the effective and consistent implementation of the assessment and verification procedures, notably through the working group referred to in Article 13.
8. The competent body shall conclude a contract with each operator, covering the terms of use of the EU Ecolabel (including provisions for the authorisation and withdrawal of the EU Ecolabel, notably following the revision of criteria). To that end a standard contract shall be used in accordance with the template in Annex IV.
9. The operator may place the EU Ecolabel on the product only after conclusion of the contract. The operator shall also place the registration number on the product bearing the EU Ecolabel.
10. The competent body which has awarded the EU Ecolabel to a product shall notify the Commission thereof. The Commission shall establish a common register and update it regularly. That register shall be publicly available on a website dedicated to the EU Ecolabel.
11. The EU Ecolabel may be used on the products for which the EU Ecolabel has been awarded and on their associated promotional material.
12. The award of the EU Ecolabel shall be without prejudice to environmental or other regulatory requirements of Community or national law applicable to the various life stages of the product.
13. The right to use the EU Ecolabel shall not extend to the use of the EU Ecolabel as a component of a trademark.
Article 10
Market surveillance and control of the use of the EU Ecolabel
1. Any false or misleading advertising or use of any label or logo which leads to confusion with the EU Ecolabel shall be prohibited.
2. The competent body shall, in respect of products to which it has awarded the EU Ecolabel, verify that the product complies with the EU Ecolabel criteria and assessment requirements published under Article 8, on a regular basis. The competent body shall, as appropriate, also undertake such verifications upon complaint. These verifications may take the form of random spot-checks.
The competent body which has awarded the EU Ecolabel to the product shall inform the user of the EU Ecolabel of any complaints made concerning the product bearing the EU Ecolabel, and may request the user to reply to those complaints. The competent body may withhold the identity of the complainant from the user.
3. The user of the EU Ecolabel shall allow the competent body which has awarded the EU Ecolabel to the product to undertake all necessary investigations to monitor its on-going compliance with the product group criteria and Article 9.
4. The user of the EU Ecolabel shall, upon request by the competent body which has awarded the EU Ecolabel to the product, grant access to the premises on which the product concerned is produced.
The request may be made at any reasonable time and without notice.
5. Where, after giving the user of the EU Ecolabel the opportunity to submit observations, any competent body which finds that a product bearing the EU Ecolabel does not comply with the relevant product group criteria or that the EU Ecolabel is not used in accordance with Article 9, it shall either prohibit the use of the EU Ecolabel on that product, or, in the event that the EU Ecolabel has been awarded by another competent body, it shall inform that competent body. The user of the EU Ecolabel shall not be entitled to repayment of the fees referred to in Article 9(4), either in whole or in part.
The competent body shall without delay inform all other competent bodies and the Commission of that prohibition.
6. The competent body which has awarded the EU Ecolabel to the product shall not disclose, or use for any purpose unconnected with the award for use of the EU Ecolabel, information to which it has gained access in the course of assessing the compliance by a user of the EU Ecolabel with the rules on use of the EU Ecolabel set out in Article 9.
It shall take all reasonable steps to secure the protection of the documents provided to it against falsification and misappropriation.
Article 11
Ecolabelling schemes in the Member States
1. Where EU Ecolabel criteria for a given product group have been published, other nationally or regionally officially recognised EN ISO 14024 type I ecolabelling schemes which do not cover that product group at the time of publication may be extended to that product group only where the criteria developed under those schemes are at least as strict as the EU Ecolabel criteria.
2. In order to harmonise the criteria of European ecolabelling schemes (EN ISO 14024 type I), EU Ecolabel criteria shall also take into account existing criteria developed in officially recognised ecolabelling schemes in the Member States.
Article 12
Promotion of the EU Ecolabel
1. Member States and the Commission shall, in cooperation with the EUEB, agree on a specific action plan to promote the use of the EU Ecolabel by:
(a)
awareness-raising actions and information and public education campaigns for consumers, producers, manufacturers, wholesalers, service providers, public purchasers, traders, retailers and the general public,
(b)
encouraging the uptake of the scheme, especially for SMEs,
thus supporting the development of the scheme.
2. Promotion of the EU Ecolabel may be undertaken via the EU Ecolabel website providing basic information and promotional materials on the EU Ecolabel, and information on where to purchase EU Ecolabel products, in all Community languages.
3. Member States shall encourage the use of the ‘Manual for authorities awarding public contracts’, as specified in Annex I, Part A, point 5. For this purpose, Member States shall consider, for example, the setting of targets for the purchasing of products meeting the criteria specified in that Manual.
Article 13
Exchange of information and experiences
1. In order to foster consistent implementation of this Regulation, competent bodies shall regularly exchange information and experiences, in particular on the application of Articles 9 and 10.
2. The Commission shall set up a working group of competent bodies for this purpose. The working group shall meet at least twice a year. Travel expenses shall be borne by the Commission. The working group shall elect its chair and adopt its rules of procedure.
Article 14
Report
By 19 February 2015, the Commission shall submit to the European Parliament and the Council a report on the implementation of the EU Ecolabel scheme. The report shall also identify elements for a possible review of the scheme.
Article 15
Amendment of Annexes
The Commission may amend the Annexes, including modifying the maximum fees provided for in Annex III taking into account the need for fees to cover the costs of running the scheme.
Those measures, designed to amend non-essential elements of this Regulation, shall be adopted in accordance with the regulatory procedure with scrutiny referred to in Article 16(2).
Article 16
Committee procedure
1. The Commission shall be assisted by a Committee.
2. Where reference is made to this paragraph, Article 5a(1) to (4) and Article 7 of Decision 1999/468/EC shall apply, having regard to the provisions of Article 8 thereof.
Article 17
Penalties
Member States shall lay down the rules on penalties applicable to infringements of the provisions of this Regulation and shall take all measures necessary to ensure that they are implemented. The penalties provided for must be effective, proportionate and dissuasive. The Member States shall notify those provisions to the Commission without delay and shall notify it without delay of any subsequent amendment affecting them.
Article 18
Repeal
Regulation (EC) No 1980/2000 is hereby repealed.
Article 19
Transitional provisions
Regulation (EC) No 1980/2000 shall continue to apply to contracts concluded under Article 9 thereof until the date of expiry specified in those contracts, except for its provisions concerning fees.
Article 9(4) of and Annex III to this Regulation shall apply to such contracts.
Article 20
Entry into force
This Regulation shall enter into force on the twentieth day following its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.
This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States.
Done at Strasbourg, 25 November 2009.