TY - GEN A1 - Schuberth, J. A1 - Ebert, T. A1 - Schlegel, Moritz-Caspar A1 - Rödig, L. A1 - Jepsen, D. T1 - A Front-Runner Approach for EU product policy - Impulse for raising untapped energy saving potentials T2 - Scientific opinion paper N2 - In 2020, the European Commission has announced to propose a Sustainable Product Policy for the EU which shall ensure that the performance of front-runners in sustainability progressively becomes the norm. In addition, the European Commission has re-emphasised the necessity to significantly improve the effectiveness of the current Ecodesign framework for energy-related products. With this paper, we present an initial outline of a policy approach which we call the “EU frontrunner approach”. The approach aims at installing a regulatory framework which enables a semi-automated, progressive adaptation of ecodesign minimum requirements for products. It builds on performance levels of the best products available on the market by aggregating information in a database. The “front-runner approach” could first be applied to progressively adapt product-related minimum energy-efficiency requirements. This way it would serve as a starting point to introduce this conceptto the EU policy arena. While the approach can be applied for energy efficiency, it is neither limited to energy-related products nor to energy-related requirements. It can be applied to the wide range of nonenergy related products within the scope of the upcoming Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) as well as to non-energy-related requirements, such as minimum requirements for durability, reparability, recyclability and recycled content. KW - Ecodesign KW - Energy Labelling KW - Circular Economy KW - Efficiency KW - Policy making PY - 2022 UR - https://www.umweltbundesamt.de/publikationen/a-front-runner-approach-for-eu-product-policy SP - 1 EP - 12 PB - German Environment Agency CY - Dessau-Roßlau AN - OPUS4-55503 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -