Directive 2009/125/EC of the European Parliament and of the CouncilShow full title

Part 3. Requirements for the manufacturer

1. Addressing the environmental aspects identified in the implementing measure as capable of being influenced in a substantial manner through product design, manufacturers of products must perform an assessment of the product model throughout its lifecycle, based upon realistic assumptions about normal conditions and purposes of use. Other environmental aspects may be examined on a voluntary basis.

On the basis of this assessment, manufacturers must establish the product's ecological profile. It must be based on environmentally relevant product characteristics and inputs/outputs throughout the product life cycle expressed in physical quantities that can be measured.

2. Manufacturers must make use of this assessment to evaluate alternative design solutions and the achieved environmental performance of the product against benchmarks.

The benchmarks must be identified by the Commission in the implementing measure on the basis of information gathered during the preparation of the measure.

The choice of a specific design solution must achieve a reasonable balance between the various environmental aspects and between environmental aspects and other relevant considerations, such as safety and health, technical requirements for functionality, quality, and performance, and economic aspects, including manufacturing costs and marketability, while complying with all relevant legislation.