Ecodesign and energy labelling requirements — washing machines and household washer-dryers

SUMMARY OF:

Regulation (EU) 2019/2023 laying down ecodesign requirements for household washing machines and household washer-dryers

Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/2014 on energy labelling of household washing machines and household washer-dryers

WHAT IS THE AIM OF THE REGULATIONS?

Household washing machines and washer dryers are subject to new and revised ecodesign* requirements and energy labelling* rules. Ecodesign and energy labelling go hand-in-hand providing European consumers with valuable information to enable them to make an informed choice and eventually increase the market for more energy efficient products.

Regulation (EU) 2019/2023 sets out ecodesign requirements, pursuant to Directive 2009/125/EC, for the sale or putting into service of electric mains-operated household washing machines and washer dryers. It amends Regulation (EC) No 1275/2008 and repeals Regulation (EU) No 1015/2010 as of 1 March 2021.

Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/2014 sets out rules on the labelling of, and supply of additional product information on, the same appliances. It supplements Regulation (EU) 2017/1369 and repeals Delegated Regulation (EU) No 1061/2010 and Commission Directive 96/60/EC.

KEY POINTS

Regulation (EU) 2019/2023

Does not apply to household washing machines with a capacity of less than 2 kg and household washer-dryers with a capacity of 2 kg or less.
Sets out the ecodesign requirements in Annex II, which cover:
- programme requirements, including rules on providing an ‘eco 40-60’ programme and (for washer-dryers) a wash & dry cycle. The eco 40-60 programme must be set as the default programme where possible, or made available for direct selection without the need for any other selection such as a specific temperature or load. The indications ‘normal’, ‘daily’, ‘regular’ and ‘standard’ must not be used in programme names either alone or in combination with other information;
- wash and dry cycle;
- energy efficiency;
- functional requirements (washing efficiency and rinsing effectiveness);
- requirements on duration;
- water consumption;
- low power modes (off mode and stand-by mode);
- resource efficiency, including availability of spare parts, access to repair and maintenance information, material recovery and recycling;
- information for installers and end-users.
Sets out the conformity assessment procedure: national authorities must apply the verification procedures laid down in Annex IV when carrying out market surveillance checks, and the measurement methods and calculations that must be followed, in Annex III.
Sets out in Annex V indicative benchmarks based on the best-performing products and technologies available for such appliances in terms of their water and energy consumption, washing efficiency and airborne acoustical noise emissions.
The European Commission must review the regulation in the light of technological progress and assess a number of aspects, such as requirements for reducing microplastics, 6 years after its entry into force.

Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/2014

This delegated act sets out the energy efficiency class, the spin-drying efficiency class and the acoustic airborne noise emission class which are based on an index in Annex II.
Sets out obligations on suppliers, including to ensure that:
- each household washing machine and household washer-dryer is supplied with a printed label in the format as set out in Annex III and, for a multi-drum household washing machine or a multi-drum household washer-dryer, in accordance with Annex X;
- the parameters of the product information sheet (Annex V) and of the technical documentation (Annex VI) are entered into the product database;
- an electronic label in the format and containing the information as set out in Annex III is made available to dealers for each model of household washing machine and of household washer-dryer.
Sets out obligations on dealers, including to ensure that:
- each appliance on sale bears a clearly visible label provided by suppliers in line with Annex III;
- in the event of distance selling, the label and product information sheet comply with Annexes VII and VIII.
Internet hosting platforms must ensure that the electronic label and electronic product information sheet provided by the dealer are clearly displayed, according to Annex VIII, on all such appliances sold directly through the site.
National authorities apply the verification procedure laid down in Annex IX when carrying out market surveillance checks.
The Commission must review the delegated regulation in the light of technological progress 6 years after the entry into force including the possibility of addressing circular economy objectives.

From when do the regulations apply?

They both apply from 1 March 2021.

BACKGROUND

Directive 2009/125/EC establishes a framework to set ecodesign requirements for energy-related products. It tasks the Commission to set these for products which are widely sold and traded in the EU and have a significant environmental impact.

Regulation (EU) 2017/1369 establishes a framework to set energy labelling requirements for energy-related products to enable consumers to choose more efficient products to reduce their energy consumption.

The WEEE Directive set requirements on e.g. recovery and recycling of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) to reduce the negative environmental effects resulting from the generation and management of WEEE and from resource use.

For more information, see:

Washing machines (European Commission)
The new ecodesign measures explained (European Commission)
New energy efficiency labels explained (European Commission)
About the energy label and ecodesign (European Commission).

KEY TERMS

Ecodesign: Policy to improve, through better design, products’ environmental performance throughout their life cycle, especially their energy efficiency.

Energy labelling: Energy labelling enables customers to make informed choices based on the energy consumption of energy-related products via an A-G/green-to-red scale.

MAIN DOCUMENTS

Commission Regulation (EU) 2019/2023 of 1 October 2019 laying down ecodesign requirements for household washing machines and household washer-dryers pursuant to Directive 2009/125/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council, amending Commission Regulation (EC) No 1275/2008 and repealing Commission Regulation (EU) No 1015/2010 (OJ L 315, 5.12.2019, pp. 285-312)

Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/2014 of 11 March 2019 supplementing Regulation (EU) 2017/1369 of the European Parliament and of the Council with regard to energy labelling of household washing machines and household washer-dryers and repealing Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) No 1061/2010 and Commission Directive 96/60/EC (OJ L 315, 5.12.2019, pp. 29-67)