Summary of Recent Legislative Developments
- Regulation (EU) 2024/1781 on Ecodesign for Sustainable Products: This act establishes a comprehensive framework for setting mandatory ecodesign requirements for almost all categories of physical goods placed on the EU market. It mandates that products must be designed for durability, reusability, upgradability, and repairability. The legislation introduces a “Digital Product Passport” to provide transparency regarding environmental sustainability and supply chain information for consumers and supply chain actors.
- Directive (EU) 2024/1760 on Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence (CSDDD): This directive imposes legal obligations on large companies to identify, prevent, mitigate, and account for negative human rights and environmental impacts within their own operations, their subsidiaries, and their established business relationships. It requires firms to adopt and implement a transition plan to ensure that their business model and strategy are compatible with the limiting of global warming to 1.5°C in line with the Paris Agreement.
- Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 on Artificial Intelligence (AI Act): This regulation sets harmonized rules for the development, deployment, and use of AI systems across the EU. It adopts a risk-based approach, categorizing AI systems into tiers: unacceptable risk (prohibited), high risk (subject to strict compliance obligations), and limited/minimal risk (subject to transparency requirements). The act prohibits specific AI practices, such as cognitive behavioral manipulation or social scoring, and mandates rigorous conformity assessments for high-risk systems.
- Regulation (EU) 2024/1157 on Shipments of Waste: This legislation revises the rules governing the transport of waste, effectively banning the export of plastic waste to non-OECD countries and tightening restrictions on exports to OECD countries. It mandates that shipments of waste for recovery within the EU must be subject to stringent information requirements and establishes a digital electronic exchange system to streamline the monitoring and enforcement of these waste movements.
