The EU EuP Directive, also known as the 'Ecological Design Directive for Energy Products', is generally applicable to all energy products except vehicles.
According to the directive, specific implementation rules for related products were successively introduced from 2007 to 2010. The EuP directive is the third environmental protection directive issued by the European Union for electronic and electrical products, following the RoHS directive and the WEEE directive. Compared to WEEE and RoHS instructions, the EuP instruction has a wider monitoring range.
The WEEE directive only starts from the recycling and disposal process of wire and cable products, and puts forward requirements for the recycling and utilization of their waste; The RoHS directive only restricts the use of certain hazardous substances in wire and cable products, with a small monitoring range; The EuP directive focuses on environmental control throughout the entire life cycle of wire and cable products. From the selection of raw materials, product manufacturing, packaging, transportation, distribution, installation, maintenance, use, to waste recycling, all require enterprises to evaluate the relevant environmental impact according to specified parameters. This directive applies in principle to all mechanical and electrical products that require energy consumption to perform well, and all household appliances, consumer electronics, heating equipment, hot water equipment, motor systems, household and service lighting equipment are affected.
Overall, the EuP directive mainly has a huge impact on China's wire and cable export enterprises. Wire and cable products need to obtain certification marks before they can be produced and launched in the European market; At the same time, it is necessary to monitor the implementation effect of this directive throughout the production process, which will significantly increase the production costs of enterprises. Some enterprises that fail to meet the requirements are highly likely to face the dilemma of having no access to exports.
EuP has put forward higher environmental requirements for plastic raw materials upstream of wires and cables, and the profound impact of plastic raw materials and additives related industries will gradually emerge.
The EuP directive requires "green manufacturing" throughout the entire product lifecycle, including comprehensive green concepts such as "green raw materials, green design, green production, green packaging and use, green recycling and treatment". Among them, "green raw materials" and "green packaging and use" will have a significant impact on plastic and other related industries.
The EuP directive requires wire and cable products entering the EU market to prohibit certain harmful substances, which requires wire and cable enterprises to focus on green manufacturing from raw materials. When selecting raw materials, designers need to change traditional material selection methods and cannot rely on traditional manufacturing ideas. They need to consider using environmentally friendly materials that meet standards while meeting basic functions. Plastic and related products are widely used as raw materials in China's wire and cable products. Therefore, it is necessary to select non-toxic, low energy consumption, pollution-free or slightly less polluting plastic raw materials in accordance with the EuP directive, and use renewable and recyclable materials to improve resource utilization. This puts forward higher environmental requirements for plastics and plastic additives products in China.
The use and disposal of packaging materials can bring a great burden to the environment. Therefore, the packaging of wire and cable products should try to choose non-toxic, pollution-free, recyclable or easily degradable materials, so that the packaging can achieve "3RlD" (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, and Degradable). The improvement of packaging structure can also be achieved by improving product structure design. Research has shown that increasing the internal structural strength of products can reduce the demand for packaging materials by 54% and reduce packaging costs by 62%. Therefore, it is urgent to develop plastic products towards safety and harmlessness; At the same time, new product structures and longer lifespan plastic materials will be more helpful in reducing resource waste and environmental pollution.
According to EU statistics, 80% of the products restricted by the EuP directive come from China. Domestic experts have stated that after the directive truly enters the implementation stage, the losses caused to the Chinese electromechanical industry will not be less than 50 billion yuan per year.
After the implementation of the EuP directive, in addition to increasing the cost of raw materials for wire and cable enterprises, it will also increase design and manufacturing costs. For export wire and cable companies that win at low prices, rising costs will further dilute their already meager profits, and their profitability will be greatly tested. Enterprises with outdated product technology and insufficient response capabilities may exit the European market as a result.
In response, experts in the plastic industry suggest that in the face of increasingly strict domestic and foreign environmental regulations, domestic plastic and raw material supply enterprises should actively respond, improve the environmental standards of plastic raw materials and products, accelerate the development of new environmentally friendly plastic additives, and accelerate the process of replacing toxic and harmful substances. While ensuring that exported products comply with various environmental protection directives, the environmental protection level of domestic products should also be continuously improved.