(1)

Under Regulation (EC) No 66/2010, the EU Ecolabel may be awarded to those products with a reduced environmental impact during their entire life cycle.

(2)

Regulation (EC) No 66/2010 provides that specific EU Ecolabel criteria are to be established according to product groups.

(3)

Commission Decision 2011/333/EU (2) established criteria and related assessment and verification requirements for the product group ‘copying and graphic paper’. The period of validity of those criteria and requirements was extended to 31 December 2018 by Commission Decision (EU) 2015/877 (3).

(4)

Commission Decision 2012/448/EU (4) established the criteria and related assessment and verification requirements for the product group ‘newsprint paper’. The period of validity of those criteria and requirements was extended to 31 December 2018 by Decision (EU) 2015/877.

(5)

Commission Decision 2009/568/EC (5) established criteria and related assessment and verification requirements for the product group ‘tissue paper’. The period of validity of those criteria and requirements set out in Decision 2009/568/EC was extended to 31 December 2018 by Decision (EU) 2015/877.

(6)

The EU Ecolabel Fitness check (REFIT) of 30 June 2017, reviewing the implementation of Regulation (EC) No 66/2010 (6), concluded on the need to develop a more strategic approach for the EU Ecolabel, including the bundling of closely related product groups where appropriate.

(7)

In line with those conclusions and after consulting the EU Ecolabelling Board the product groups ‘copying and graphic paper’ and ‘newsprint paper’ should be merged together to form a single product group ‘graphic paper’, with a new definition covering both of the old product groups together with certain modifications that are appropriate to take account of scientific and market developments. In particular, the new definition should remove the weight limit that applied to the old product groups, now including a wider variety of paper with higher rigidity.

(8)

In addition, in line with the review, certain modifications should be made to the definition of the product group ‘tissue paper’, notably to make a clearer distinction based on the ISO Standard 12625-1 between the tissue paper and the final tissue product; the product group should be renamed ‘tissue paper and tissue products’.

(9)

To better reflect best practice in the market for these product groups and to take account of innovations introduced in the intervening period, it is appropriate to establish a new set of criteria for each of the two product groups.

(10)

The new criteria for each product group aim to promote energy efficient manufacturing processes which deliver reduced emissions of substances that contribute to the eutrophication of watercourses, the acidification of the atmosphere and climate change, restrict the use of hazardous substances and use raw materials sourced from sustainably managed forests or recycled materials which contributes to facilitate the transition to a more circular economy.

(11)

The new criteria and related assessment and verification requirements for each product group should remain valid until 31 December 2024, taking into account the innovation cycle for the two product groups.

(12)

Since the two product groups ‘graphic paper’ and ‘tissue paper and tissue products’ are closely related and their criteria will be similar, it is appropriate to adopt a single decision establishing both sets of criteria in the same act. This should also increase the visibility of the schemes for market participants and reduce the administrative burden for national authorities.

(13)

For reasons of legal certainty, Decision 2011/333/EU, Decision 2012/448/EU and Decision 2009/568/EC should be repealed.

(14)

A transitional period should be allowed for producers whose products have been awarded the EU Ecolabel for copying and graphic paper, newsprint paper or tissue paper on the basis of the criteria set out in Decision 2011/333/EU, Decision 2012/448/EU or Decision 2009/568/EC respectively, so that they have sufficient time to adapt their products to comply with the new criteria and requirements. For a limited period after adoption of this Decision, producers should also be allowed to submit applications based either on the criteria established by those Decisions or on the new criteria established by this Decision. Where the EU Ecolabel was awarded on the basis of the criteria established by one of the old Decisions, use of it should be permitted only until 31 December 2019.

(15)

The measures provided for in this Decision are in accordance with the opinion of the Committee established by Article 16 of Regulation (EC) No 66/2010,