The Federation of European Sporting Goods Industry (FESI), representing the sporting goods sector in Europe, said this week that it welcomes the adoption by the European Parliament of the report on the European Sustainable Product Regulation (ESPR) proposal. FESI said it “commends the Parliament’s efforts in recognizing the trade-offs involved in establishing ecodesign requirements, a crucial step towards advancing sustainability and environmental responsibility within our industry.”
FESI said it supports the objective of the ESPR’s proposal and the need to make goods placed on the Union market more sustainable. Concurrently, 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.
However, FESI said it had deep concerns regarding the Parliament’s position on specific provisions regarding the ban on destroying unsold goods; however, FESI said the proposed scope remained unclear.
FESI advocates for specific derogations for certain types of goods in line with the objectives of other legislative proposals currently on the table.
“If we want 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,” the organization stated.
“We welcome the Parliament’s work on providing further clarification linked to the ban on unsold goods, in particular, regarding the reporting obligations and the list of exemptions, with the inclusion of counterfeit products,” commented 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 said it supported the European Parliament’s recognition of confidential business information’s role in fostering innovation, protecting intellectual property, and promoting competitiveness within the European market.
“We firmly believe that safeguarding sensitive commercial data is essential for businesses to thrive in today’s dynamic landscape,” the FESI statement said. “However, we are concerned about the potential implications of reporting requirements on this topic. 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, FESI calls for strengthening the enforcement and following a level playing field for economic operators that comply with the proposal while placing products on the EU market regardless of the sale channels they are operating.
In conclusion, FESI said it firmly believes that 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,” the organization concluded.
FESI represents, directly and indirectly, more than 1.800 sports brands, manufacturers, retailers, and national federations, working to keep sporting goods’ environmental impacts within planetary boundaries. The “sporting goods sector envisions a future built on a circular system, one that embraces durable products crafted from safe and sustainably sourced materials. Such a system should be built around a smart mix of circular business models based on reuse, repair, and recycle.”
