The Commission of the European Union (EU) has issued a communication implementing transitional symbols for use with washing machines designed to meet the EU’s energy efficiency requirements.
The Commission’s communication, which was published in July 2012 in the Official Journal of the European Union, illustrates transitional symbols intended to facilitate the consumer’s selection of the most energy-efficient washing cycle for cotton clothes. These symbols are to be placed on the washing machine’s program selection panel or display in order to comply with the Commission’s requirements.
It is expected that these transitional symbols will eventually be replaced by symbols identified in the applicable harmonized standard when one becomes available.
The EU’s energy efficiency regulations for washing machines (1015/2010), came into effect on December 1, 2011, and implements product-specific requirements under the EU’s Eco-Design Directive, 2009/125/EC. That directive gives the Commission the authority to establish minimum efficiency standards for those “energy-related products representing significant volume of sales and trade, having significant environmental impact and presenting significant potential for improvement in terms of their environmental impact without entailing excessive costs.”
Read the Commission’s communication regarding transitional symbols for washing machines.
