European Ecodesign Material Efficiency Standardization Overview for Circular Economy Aspects in Motor and Power Drive Systems

Abstract

The European Commission launched end of 2015 a circular economy strategy with an action plan for “Closing the loop.” One action from this initiative was to request the European standardization organizations to prepare a series of horizontal standards for setting ecodesign requirements for circular economy by considering the durability, the reparability and the recyclability of energy-related products like electric motor, variable speed drives, pumps, or fans. This paper will report on the standardization work in progress in the CEN-CLC Joint Technical Committee 10 in charge of these standards, dealing with topics such as the durability; the ability to repair, reuse, upgrade, and remanufacture products, the recyclability and recoverability; as well as the assessment of ratio for reused components or recycled material in energy-related products, and the declaration of European critical raw material and information related to these material efficiency aspects.

Attention will be considered for material efficiency requirements from the European Ecodesign Regulation published in 2019 for motor and variable speed drives. There is a need to carefully consider the possible technical conflict raised when compliance to resource and material efficiency along the complete product life cycle is to be satisfied at the same time with energy efficiency performance in the product in use phase.

Consideration for specific product-oriented material efficiency standards will be discussed based on the generic horizontal European EN 4555x draft standard series which do not differentiate between requirements applicable for household equipment for business-to-customer market (B2C) and non-household/industrial equipment and systems for business -o-business market (B2B). Also, there is a need to consider a guideline on the direction and advice on how to derive and manage different horizontal requirements and on how to apply them to particular energy-related products like motors, power electronic drives, pumps, compressors, or fans. In particular, for standardization product committees are expected to draft a unique product-oriented standard covering all aspects of material efficiency for circular economy, as described in the whole EN 4555x series of CEN CENELEC documents to be published soon.