Commission Decision
of 18 March 2002
establishing revised ecological criteria for the award of the Community eco-label to footwear and amending Decision 1999/179/EC
(notified under document number C(2002) 1015)
(Text with EEA relevance)
(2002/231/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 Article 4 and Article 6(1) thereof,
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 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 due time before the end of the period of validity of the criteria specified for each product group. That review is to result in a proposal for prolongation, withdrawal or revision.
(4) It is appropriate to revise the ecological criteria that were established by Commission Decision 1999/179/EC of 17 February 1999 establishing the ecological criteria for the award of the Community eco-label to footwear(2) in order to reflect the developments in the market. At the same time, the period of validity of that Decision as extended by Decision 2001/832/EC(3) should be modified.
(5) A new Commission Decision should be adopted establishing the specific ecological criteria for this product group, which will be valid for a period of five years.
(6) It is appropriate that, for a limited period of not more than 12 months, both the new criteria established by this Decision and the criteria established by Decision 1999/179/EC should be valid concurrently, in order to allow sufficient time for companies that have been awarded or that have applied for the award of the eco-label for their products, prior to the date of application of this Decision, to adapt those products to comply with the new criteria.
(7) The measures provided for in this Decision are based on the draft criteria developed by the European Union Eco-Labelling Board established under Article 13 of Regulation (EC) No 1980/2000.
(8) 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
In order to be awarded the Community eco-label under Regulation (EC) No 1980/2000, footwear must fall within the product group "footwear" as defined in Article 2, and must comply with the ecological criteria set out in the Annex to this Decision.
Article 2
The product group "footwear" shall comprise:
All articles of clothing designed to protect or cover the foot, with a fixed outer sole which comes into contact with the ground.
Article 3
For administrative purposes the code number assigned to the product group "footwear" shall be "017".
Article 4
Article 3 of Decision 1999/179/EC is replaced by the following: "The product group definition and the specific ecological criteria for the product group shall be valid until 31 March 2003."
Article 5
This Decision shall apply from 1 April 2002 until 31 March 2006. If on 31 March 2006 revised criteria have not been adopted, this Decision shall apply until 31 March 2007.
Producers of products falling within the product group "footwear" which have already been awarded the eco-label before 1 April 2002 may continue to use that label until 31 March 2003.
Producers of products falling within the product group "footwear" which have already applied for the award of the eco-label before 1 April 2002 may be awarded the eco-label under the terms Decision 1999/179/EC until 31 March 2003.
From 1 April 2002, new applications for the award of the eco-label for the product group "footwear" shall satisfy the criteria set out in this Decision.
Article 6
This Decision is addressed to the Member States.
Done at Brussels, 18 March 2002.