C(2024)7688

This Delegated Regulation supplements Regulation (EU) 2017/1369 of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing a framework for energy labelling as regards energy labelling of smartphones and tablets with a view to ensuring that mobile phones and tablets are designed to be energy efficient and durable, repairable, upgradable, easy to maintain, reuse and recycle.

Context

Regulation (EU) 2017/1369 empowers the Commission to adopt delegated acts as regards the labelling or re-scaling of the labelling of product groups representing significant potential for energy savings and, where relevant, other resources.

The Commission carried out a preparatory study, conducted in close cooperation with stakeholders and interested parties in the Union and third countries, to analyse the technical, environmental and economic aspects of mobile phones, smartphones and slate tablets. The study was, and the results have been made publicly available. This study concluded that the scope for reducing the energy consumption of smartphones and slate tablets is substantial. It also concluded that the battery lifetime and consequently the product lifetime of smartphones and slate tablets can significantly be improved by means of an energy labelling scheme. Smartphones and slate tablets should therefore be covered by energy labelling requirements.

In total, smartphones and slate tablets consumed 36.1 TWh of primary energy in 2020, including all life cycle phases. The preparatory study showed that, without regulatory action, these values are likely to increase to 36.5 TWh of primary energy in 2030.

The combined effect of this Regulation and Commission Regulation is expected to limit the energy consumption of smartphones and slate tablets in 2030 to 23.3 TWh, meaning 35 % of primary energy consumption is saved compared to what would happen if no measures were taken.

Content

This regulation sets requirements for the energy labelling and the provision of product information for smartphones and slate tablets as well as the provision of additional information on these products. The objectives are to contribute to the EU climate and energy targets and to the material efficiency objectives set out in the Circular Economy Action Plan 2020.

More specifically, this initiative, due to the specific design of the energy label, would help deliver on the three specific objectives:

- facilitating repair and increasing durability of these products and key components (e.g. battery and display);

- fostering product designs aimed at achieving cost-efficient material and energy savings; and

- helping consumers make an informed and sustainable choice at the point of sale

The delegated regulation introduces an energy label (for smartphones and slate tablets) that contains information on the energy efficiency of the device as well as information on material efficiency aspects. The energy efficiency is determined in accordance with an energy efficiency index.

The label also contains information related to material efficiency aspects , namely:

- the battery endurance per cycle and in cycles;

- the repeated free fall reliability (i.e. how many falls the device can withstand while remaining operational);

- the dust and water ingress protection;

- a reparability score, based on scoring criteria (such as disassembly depth, fasteners and tools to be used in the repair process, etc.) set out to rate the extent to which products are reparable.

Non-legislative basic document

C(2023)01672