COMMISSION DECISION
of 23 March 2005
establishing ecological criteria for the award of the Community eco-label to all-purpose cleaners and cleaners for sanitary facilities
(notified under document number C(2005) 1028)
(Text with EEA relevance)
(2005/344/EC)
THE COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Community,
Having regard to 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 (1), and in particular the second subparagraph of Article 6(1) thereof,
After consulting the European Union Eco-Labelling Board,
Whereas:
(1)
Under Regulation (EC) No 1980/2000 the Community eco-label may be awarded to a product possessing characteristics which enable it to contribute significantly to improvements in relation to key environmental aspects.
(2)
Regulation (EC) No 1980/2000 provides that specific eco-label criteria, drawn up on the basis of the criteria drafted by the European Union Eco-Labelling Board, are to be established according to product groups.
(3)
It also provides that the review of the eco-label criteria, as well as of the assessment and verification requirements related to the criteria, is to take place in goodtime before the end of the period of validity of the criteria specified for the product group concerned.
(4)
It is appropriate, in order to take account of scientific and market developments, to revise the ecological criteria established by Commission Decision 2001/523/EC of 27 June 2001 establishing the ecological criteria for the award of the Community eco-label to all-purpose cleaners and cleaners for sanitary facilities (2).
(5)
Furthermore, in order to specify that detergent products for the routine cleaning of windows are to be regarded as all-purpose cleaners, rather than as products for more specific cleaning uses, it is necessary to modify the definition of the product group laid down in that Decision.
(6)
In the interests of clarity, Decision 2001/523/EC should therefore be replaced.
(7)
The revised ecological criteria should be valid for a period of four years.
(8)
It is appropriate to allow a transitional period of not more than twelve months for applicants whose products have been awarded the eco-label before the date of notification of this Decision or who have applied for such an award before that date, so that they have sufficient time to adapt their products to comply with the revised criteria and requirements.
(9)
The measures provided for in this Decision are in accordance with the opinion of the Committee instituted by Article 17 of Regulation (EC) No 1980/2000,
HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:
Article 1
The product group ‘all-purpose cleaners and cleaners for sanitary facilities’ shall be composed of the following three subgroups:
(a)
all-purpose cleaners comprising detergent products intended for the routine cleaning of floors, walls, ceilings, windows and other fixed surfaces, and which are dissolved or diluted in water prior to use. All purpose cleaners must have water content ≤ 90 % (w/w).
(b)
window cleaners comprising specific all-purpose cleaners intended for the routing cleaning of windows, and which are either diluted in water prior to use or used without dilution. All window cleaners must have water content ≤ 95 % (w/w).
(c)
cleaners for sanitary facilities comprising detergent products intended for the routine removal, including by scouring, of dirt and/or deposits in sanitary facilities, such as laundry rooms, bathrooms, showers, toilets and kitchens. All cleaners for sanitary facilities must have water content ≤ 90 % (w/w).
The subgroup specified in point (c) of the first paragraph shall not include the following:
(a)
products which are automatically used when a toilet is flushed, such as ‘self-dosing-products’, including toilet blocks;
(b)
products for use in a toilet cistern;
(c)
products, which have no cleaning effects other than the removal of calcium carbonate (scale);
(d)
disinfectants.
The product group shall not cover products for more specific cleaning uses, such as oven cleaners, floor-strippers, polishes, drain cleaners, and so on.
The product group shall cover products for both private and professional use.
Article 2
In order to be awarded the Community eco-label, for all-purpose cleaners and cleaners for sanitary facilities, under Regulation (EC) No 1980/2000, a cleaner must fall within the product group ‘all-purpose cleaners and cleaners for sanitary facilities’ and must comply with the ecological criteria set out in the Annex to this Decision.
Article 3
The ecological criteria for the product group ‘all purpose cleaners and cleaners for sanitary facilities’, as well as the related assessment and verification requirements, shall be valid until 31 December 2008.
Article 4
For administrative purposes the code number assigned to the product group ‘all purpose cleaners and cleaners for sanitary facilities’ shall be 020.
Article 5
Decision 2001/523/EC is repealed.
Article 6
Eco-labels awarded before the notification date of this Decision in respect of products falling within the product group ‘all-purpose cleaners and cleaners for sanitary facilities’ may continue to be used until 31 March 2006.
Where applications have been submitted before the notification date of this Decision for award of the eco-label in respect of products falling within the product group ‘all-purpose cleaners and cleaners for sanitary facilities’, those products may be awarded the eco-label under the conditions laid down in Decision 2001/523/EC. In such cases the eco-label may be used until 31 March 2006.
Article 7
This Decision is addressed to the Member States.
Done at Brussels, 23 March 2005.