The European Parliament backed a draft legislation to improve product labelling and durability, empowering consumers for the green transition. The proposed directive is part of the first circular economy package, along with the ecodesign regulation, construction products regulation and an own-initiative report on the European Union (EU) strategy for sustainable and circular textiles.

The Parliament wants to ban the introduction of design features that limit a product’s life or lead to goods malfunctioning prematurely, in order to make products last longer. Additionally, producers should not be allowed to limit a product’s functionality when it is used with consumables, spare parts or accessories (for example chargers or ink cartridges) made by other companies. It also proposes a new guarantee label indicating not only the length of the legally required guarantee but also the length of any possible guarantee extensions offered by producers.