Durable Design: What Role for EU Design Law in the Green Transition?

Abstract

The European Commission's Sustainable Products Initiative aims to make products more sustainable, reusable, repairable, recyclable, and energy-efficient. To that end the recently adopted Ecodesign Regulation sets requirements for circularity in production processes and sustainable product design. The purpose of the economic-driven EU design law is to incentivise investment in product design, with no consideration given to environmental or other interests. In this contribution, the author examines the question of how the traditional design protection regime relates to sustainability demands. The author also addresses the question of whether - and how - design law can support the transition towards a more sustainable, circular economy.