ANNEX
to the
Communication from the Commission
Ecodesign and Energy Labelling Working Plan 2022-2024
Annex: Methodology for the Ecodesign for Energy-related Products (MEErP)
The Methodology for the Ecodesign of Energy‐related Products (MEErP) was developed to provide operational guidance to the European Commission and contractors providing it with technical assistance in performing the preparatory study for the Ecodesign of a product. The full methodology reports and calculation template are available online 1 . The MEErP has evolved over time with the involvement of stakeholders. The administrative and legal stages following the preparatory study are not covered by the MEErP. Nevertheless, the MEErP is designed so that its outputs can be integrated in a European Commission Impact Assessment.
The MEErP is comprised of 7 tasks. The first 4 tasks are to gather data and carry out initial analysis. These address:
–Task 1 ‐ Scope (product definitions, standards and legislation);
–Task 2 – Markets (economic and market analysis, including volumes and prices)
–Task 3 – Users (product demand side, consumer behaviour and local infrastructure);
–Task 4 ‐ Technologies (product supply side, includes Best Available Technology (BAT) and Best Not-yet Available Technology (BNAT));
Apart from providing the inputs for tasks 5 to 7, tasks 1 to 4 have an additional purpose of capacity building. The reports of Tasks 1 to 4 provide policy makers and stakeholders with the background to understand each other’s problems and take part in a dialogue.
–Task 5 – Environment & Economics (base case 2 Life Cycle Assessment & Life Cycle Cost);
–Task 6 – Design options (improvement potential);
–Task 7 – Scenarios (Policy, scenario, impact and sensitivity analysis).
Tasks 5 to 7 are intended to provide the analysis whether and, if so, which ecodesign requirements should be set for the energy‐related product in question. In task 5 the ‘base case’ is identified through a synthesis of the results of Tasks 1 to 4. The base case is a conscious abstraction of reality and the point‐of‐reference for assessing improvement potential and the policy, scenario, impact and sensitivity analysis.
Design options, their consumer Life Cycle Cost consequences, their environmental costs and benefits, the solution with the Least Life Cycle Costs (LLCC) and the BAT are identified in Task 6. The BAT indicates a medium‐term target that could be appropriate for promotional measures rather than mandatory minimum requirements. The BNAT indicates long‐term possibilities and helps to define the exact scope and definition of possible measures
Under Task 7 the outcomes of the previous tasks are brought together to explore suitable policy means to realise the improvement potential. It creates scenarios with projections until 2050 quantifying the achievable improvements compared to Business as Usual. The outcomes are compared to EU targets and the societal cost of achieving the benefit in another way. The impacts on consumers (purchasing power, societal costs) and industry (employment, profitability, competitiveness, investment level) are estimated, explicitly describing and accounting for the typical design cycle in the product sector. Finally, the robustness of the outcomes is explored through a sensitivity analysis of the main parameters.
It is important for the validity of the assessments and the added value of the legislative proposal flowing from them that the methodology is kept up to date. The current methodology has gradually evolved over time through periodic reviews, involving the input of stakeholders, and leading to periodic adaptations.