The Federation of European Sporting Goods Industry (FESI) has welcomed the EU Parliament’s July 12 adoption of the report on the European Parliament’s Ecodesign for Sustainable Product Regulation (ESPR) proposal. However, it has raised concerns over elements concerning the destruction of unsold goods and how reporting requirements will affect safeguarding sensitive commercial data.
FESI said it fully supports the objective of the European Sustainable Product Regulation (ESPR) proposal and, most particularly, the need to make goods placed on the Union market more sustainable. Likewise, the Federation welcomes the recognition by the European Parliament of potential trade-offs linked with the establishment of the ecodesign requirements, such as durability, recyclability, and recycled content. It says this is a crucial step towards advancing sustainability and environmental responsibility within the sporting goods industry, which FESI envisions as a future built on a circular system.
However, FESI has also expressed some deep concerns regarding the Parliament’s position on certain provisions around the ban on the destruction of unsold goods, stating: “While the destruction of unsold goods suitable for sale should, of course, be avoided, the current proposed scope remains unclear.”
In particular, FESI believes that if the goal is to scale up the amount of recycled and recyclable materials in the EU, then recycling should, for example, not be considered as “destruction” as this may lead to misalignment with other EU legislation, such as the waste hierarchy enshrined in the Waste Framework Directive or the objectives of the EU Textile Strategy on textile-to-textile recycling.
FESI, therefore, advocates for specific derogations for certain types of goods in line with the objectives of other legislative proposals currently on the table.
“We welcome the Parliament’s work on providing further clarification linked to the ban on unsold goods, particularly regarding the reporting obligations and the list of exemptions, including counterfeit products,” said FESI Secretary General Jérôme Pero. “However, we regret that products not allowed to be placed on the market due to contractual obligations were not included.”
FESI is also concerned about the potential implications of reporting requirements that may affect the safeguarding of sensitive commercial data. It adds that striking a delicate balance between preserving business secrets and ensuring transparency in reporting is crucial for maintaining trust, accountability, and compliance with regulatory frameworks.
Regarding the implementation of the ESPR proposal, FESI calls for strengthening enforcement and leveling the playing field for economic operators that are compliant with the proposal while placing products on the EU market regardless of the sale channels they are operating.
In its response, FESI concludes: “Effective environmental policies require holistic coherence and cooperation among all stakeholders involved. As the voice of the sporting goods industry, FESI is committed to actively engaging with the European Parliament and other relevant stakeholders to ensure that the ESPR reflects the best interests of our industry, the environment, and society as a whole.”
