Yesterday, the Ecodesign Consultation Forum endorsed the Commission recommendation not to develop ecodesign or energy labelling implementing measures for thermal insulation products. The Commission services concluded that “it would be a disproportionate administrative burden both for the authorities and institutions involved to carry such a measure through the adoption process, and for the manufacturers to implement it.”
Oliver Loebel, Managing Director of PU Europe commented, “Our association fully supports this decision. It is a clear sign that the Commission wants to avoid duplication with the Construction Products Regulation which already provides a detailed legal framework to address the environmental performance of construction products. Adding a parallel certification route would have caused substantial burdens to the industry and in particular to SMEs.”
In this context, PU Europe urges the Commission to progress the practical implementation of the Basic Requirement for Construction Works n°7 on the sustainable use of resources. This could provide much needed clarification regarding the correlation between environmental product and building performance.
“PU Europe members and, in fact, the whole insulation industry, have been forerunners in publishing environmental performance data through Environmental Product Declarations. The Commission rightly concluded that it would not be sensible to set requirements for intermediate products such as insulation products. Insulation very significantly decreases the environmental impact of buildings thanks to their energy saving capacity. That’s where the focus should be put on”, Loebel concluded.