On 30 March 2022, the European Commission presented a package of initiatives to ensure that all products placed on the EU market become more sustainable. One of the main initiatives included in the package is a proposal for a new Regulation on Ecodesign for sustainable products. Considering that product design determines up to 80% of its life-cycle environmental impact, the proposal extends the scope of the current Ecodesign Directive beyond energy-related products. The aim is to ensure that products become more resource and energy efficient, durable, reliable, reusable, upgradable, reparable and easier to maintain, refurbish and recycle.

The Small Business Standards (SBS) annual conference on 15 June will focus on the opportunities and challenges arising for SMEs from the EU Sustainable Product Initiative and the role that standards play in the implementation of this initiative:

• What will be the main challenges and opportunities for SMEs as a result of the new Regulation on Eco-design for sustainable products?
• How can standards support the implementation of the new proposals?
• What features should the future Digital Product Passport have to ensure it can be implemented and used by SMEs?
• How can we ensure that the standards supporting the implementation of eco-design for sustainable products fully consider the needs and characteristics of SMEs?

To answer these questions, the event will take the examples of two product groups that have a significant impact on the environment and have also been targeted by the Commission’s initiative: construction and textiles. The revision of the Construction Products Regulation (CPR) was presented as part of the Circular Economy package; with the proposed EU Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles, the EU aims to build up a new textiles industry by fostering sustainable textile design, boosting circular business models and reducing waste.

The conference will be held online on 15 June from 13:15 to 16:30 CEST. Programme and registration.