Hybrid Event: Sustainable products in a digital age – E-commerce compliance in the ESPR and the Green Deal

Tuesday 23 May 2023, 12:15 – 13:30 CEST

European Parliament, Brussels, Room ASP 3H1 & online

Hybrid event hosted by MEP Alessandra Moretti

ENVI Rapporteur for the ‘Ecodesign for Sustainable Products’ Regulation

REGISTRATION PAGES:

• Registration for physical participation is now closed.

• Register here for online participation to the event.

In March 2022, the European Commission published its proposal for the Eco-design for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR), which is deemed the “cornerstone of the Commission’s approach to more environmentally sustainable and circular products”. The ESPR fits within an extensive framework of EU product and consumer legislation and expands the range of products subject to eco-design requirements, whilst also requiring traders to provide information to consumers to enable them to make more sustainable choices.

At the same time, online sales have steadily grown over the last ten years, a shift that has been accelerated by Covid-19. As it expands, the online retail sector is also becoming increasingly complex due to ongoing innovation. EU policy making has struggled to keep pace with such market shifts. There are concerns that the development of the e-commerce sector has disturbed the level playing field in the retail sector, with growing evidence that some e-commerce companies benefit from regulatory gaps that confer economic advantages over traditional sales’ routes. Although other legislation, such as the Digital Services Act and Market Surveillance Regulation, has started defining rules for online platforms, specific obligations in relation to Green Deal policies may still need to be clarified. Therefore, this event – organized under the umbrella of the European Parliament Intergroup on ‘Climate Change, Biodiversity and Sustainable Development’ in collaboration with the European Environmental Bureau (EEB), Svensk Handel, EDRA, EucoLight, LightingEurope, EXPRA and Toys Industries Europe (TIE) – aims at bringing together various EU policy-makers, civil society and industry representatives to address ways forward to sustainable products in a digital age.

AGENDA:

12:15 – 12:25:                        Opening remarks by MEP Alessandra Moretti, Rapporteur for the ‘Ecodesign for Sustainable Products’ Regulation

12:25 – 12:35:                     Presentation by Lucie Long, Environmental Consultant, Eunomia Research & Consulting

12:35 – 13:10:             Panel discussion with the participation of:

• Paola Zanetti, Senior Expert – Legal Officer, DG GROW, European Commission
• Sylvia Maurer, Director of ‘Sustainability, Food, Health, Energy & Safety Department’, BEUC
• Juliette Beaulaton, Public Affairs Advisor, Ecommerce Europe
• Ourania Georgoutsakou, Secretary General, LightingEurope
• Linda Leffler-Olsson, Head of Brussels Office, Svensk Handel

13:10 – 13:25:                          Q&A session with the audience

13:25 – 13:30:          Closing remarks by MEP Alessandra Moretti, Rapporteur for the ‘Ecodesign for Sustainable Products’ Regulation