EFIC has co-signed a cross-industry letter together with 21 trade associations calling on the European Union to modernise product information requirements through the upcoming European Product Act. The coalition is urging the European Commission, the European Parliament and the Council to establish a clear, horizontal and EU-wide framework allowing regulatory product information to be provided digitally as an alternative or complement to mandatory paper documentation.
Digital product information could bring significant environmental and economic benefits. According to European Commission estimates, allowing digital instructions could avoid around 10 billion A4 pages—equivalent to 50,000 tonnes of paper—every year, while saving businesses up to €300 million annually. Digital formats can also provide consumers with more accessible, multilingual and up-to-date information, while reducing the costs and complexity associated with differing national and sectoral requirements.
The letter calls for the European Product Act to provide a clear legal basis for the digital delivery of regulatory information across EU product legislation, while retaining flexibility where physical information remains necessary. Such an approach would support the EU’s sustainability, competitiveness and simplification objectives, reduce fragmentation within the Single Market and help businesses and authorities prepare for the gradual introduction of Digital Product Passports.