Sustainable Products Initiative

The European Commission is working on a Sustainable Products Initiative (SPI) as part of the new Circular Economy Package to be presented in March.

The aim of the initiative is to set the bar high for products placed on the market in the European Union and, thereby, to drive innovation – not just in the EU, but also in other parts of the world.

The Sustainable Products Initiative is designed as a framework legislation, meaning it will affect several legal acts. Specific product rules and technical details will be set in secondary legislation.

The European Commission has already acknowledged that different products need different rules. It may also include some core sustainability principles to apply across all products.

The SPI’s scope will initially focus on product groups of the key value chains identified in the New Circular Economy Action Plan: for example, electronics, ICT and textiles, and also furniture and intermediate products such as steel, cement and chemicals.

The SPI legislative proposal is expected to be presented in March. The legislative process in the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union may then officially start in the second or third quarter of 2022.