Ecodesign saves money

It is possible to save billions of kroons by creating environmentally friendly and sustainable design. The European Union has come to this realisation, too. The Nordic countries want to see to it that this understanding permeates into regulations affecting all of Europe and that sustainable design is of just as high quality in future.

This means that the European Union regulation on ecodesign will be critically reviewed and the necessary amendments made. The amendments are likely to be related to the whole processing industry, starting from the production of electric motors and bulbs.

The current ecodesign directive establishes that products on the internal market must meet certain environmental and energy norms; otherwise they cannot be sold in the EU. Parliamentarians, EU officials and non-profit organisations met in Copenhagen at the end of November to discuss what these environmental requirements should be like in future.

A Member of the European Parliament, Britta Thomsen, thought that the initiative should encourage companies and researchers in the Baltic Sea region to make the directive more efficient with their ideas. "Many people believe that 'green activities' cost money," she said. "Actually, on the contrary: we save money, and at the same time care for the environment. We in the Nordic countries know that and that's why we have to play a stronger role in this area in Europe - we have experience which can be used by other countries."