Commission's discussion paper on Integration of Environmental aspects into Standardisation (June 2002)

Published: 11 September 2002

Policies & Issues: Internal Market - Compliance, Standards & Enforcement

The current position was drafted in the follow up to the Commission initiative to stimulate a debate with all stakeholders, during a meeting held on 17 July 2002, where the Commission’s above mentioned paper was discussed. The detailed paper (7 pages) follows the structure of the Commission's discussion paper.

The present position is supported by EICTA: European Information and Communication Technology Association (www.eicta.org).

Orgalime welcomes such an initiative, and recognises the relevance of integrating environmental considerations in the design of products with a view to achieving a continuous improvement in the environmental impact of products placed on the market. Today environmental features of products are increasingly written into product specifications and should be further integrated into standards through a business-driven process, which we believe should remain voluntary, open and attractive for all stakeholders, including both NGOs and SMEs.

Orgalime therefore believes that it is essential to examine very carefully how standardisation can effectively be applied to the area of environmental protection. The development and use of standards are based on a product related risk analysis, which requires clearly measurable assessment values. Generally, producers and enforcement authorities are capable of applying these rules.

References: Commission’s discussion paper circulated on 14 June 2002

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