THE ROAD MAP FOR NET ZERO EMISSIONS

Circularity, digital transformation, and transparency of the supply chain: these are the keywords of the milestones defined by the European Union for the environment with the digital product passport. A tool designed to meet the climate challenge and complete, by 2050, the road map towards net zero emissions and zero pollution.

Eco-compatible design

On 30 March 2022, the European Commission publishes the proposal of the new Eco-design for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR), proposing a series of horizontal requirements and standards to promote sustainability, along the entire supply chain, of products placed on the market. The criteria, besides consumption and energy efficiency, include:

• Duration, reusability, reliability, repairability and recyclability of the products.
• Recycled content and the presence of any targeted substances.
• CO2 footprint and environmental impact.
• New obligations of information.

The last category features the digital passport, a tool designed to make information available to consumers, Companies and Decision-making bodies on sustainability, circularity, potential for reuse, regeneration, repairability and recycling, and the traceability of the materials used up to the packaging components and the end of life, to make informed choices, based on reliable sources.

“Thanks to the new ESPR regulation and to the digital passport, the products manufactured responsibly will become the norm, ensuring unprecedented transparency and traceability. This initiative introduces a structure of intersectoral information and requires the participation of all the agents involved in the value chain”. Comments Francesco Mastrapasqua, Institutional Affairs Manager of Epta, who continues “Epta has shared the objectives of the European Commission for many years. The Group pursues ambitious goals in this area to protect the Planet, such as 55% reduction in CO2 emissions in its industrial processes and the achievement of 95% recycled refuse by 2025. Finally, a further example, is represented by the entire range of refrigerated cabinets of the different brands of the Group, available with natural refrigerant and guarantee of the best energy classes in commercial refrigeration.”