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The Communications from the Commission COM(2015) 614 'Closing the loop - An EU action plan for the Circular Economy' and COM(2016) 773 'Ecodesign Working Plan 2016-2019' point out the increased importance of improving the resource efficiency of products in order to promote a transition towards a more circular economy in the EU. This can be for instance supported through a series of measures aiming to make products more durable, easier to repair, reuse or recycle.
This website provides information about the ‘Ecodesign for Circularity’ project. The project was carried out for the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Environment (DG ENV) by the Circular Economy & Industrial Leadership unit of the European Commission’s Joint Research Centres (DG JRC B.5).
The project aimed at the analysis of material efficiency aspects for Energy-related products (ErP), and the development of approaches supporting the definition of requirements on material efficiency in product policies (Ecodesign, Energy Label, Green Public Procurement, Ecolabel).
The project included the involvement and contribution of JRC to the standardisation activities of CEN/CENELEC JTC10 'Energy-related products - Material Efficiency Aspects for Ecodesign'. JRC took part in six working groups developing European standards on the assessment of material efficiency aspects, including durability, reparability, recyclability of products, recycled content, as well as the provision of information, and declaration of use of critical raw materials.