Have your say – Electronic displays
You can also get involved in forming EU laws. The European Commission would like to hear your views on laws and policies currently in development. They offer a platform “Have your say” with the list of all new EU initiatives open for public consultation. You need to register to write your feedback. https://ec.europa.eu/info/law/better-regulation/have-your-say
Ecodesign – electronic displays (review of requirements)
About this initiative: The aim is to review the eco-design and energy labelling requirements for electronic displays.
Feedback period:
for stage 3 it is 13 November 2024 – 05 February 2025
for stage 2 it is 24 August 2023 – 21 September 2023
Feedback for the stage 3 from Europeans for Safe Connections
After entering the questionaire there are 2 options:
- either you answer as an NGO (which ESC did and local organisations should too)
- or you answer as an EU citizen
As an NGO we answered to the Question 5.1.4.1 – What information should be visible on electronic displays:
“We would prefer the information about all wireless frequencies it can operate on (including transmit power) and whether they are active at the time. We would also prefer the information about how to switch Off wireless frequencies.“
As a physical person, you can answer to the question 4.1.2.2 – Electronic displays are labelled on an energy efficiency scale from A to G. The labels also show the efficiency of a product when it displays content in HDR, its diagonal size and resolution. In addition to this information, which options for sustainability information on televisions would you prefer?
- Other [please specify] We would prefer the information about all wireless frequencies it can operate on(including transmit power) and whether they are active at the time.
- We would also prefer the information about how to switch Off wireless frequencies.
Feedback for the stage 2 from Europeans for Safe Connections
We “Europeans for Safe Connections” endorses that this initiative would help deliver on the European Green Deal with main goal to reduce consumer energy bills and improve the EU’s security of supply by reducing primary energy consumption and decreasing energy imports.
The current regulations ecodesign and energy labelling have reduced the energy consumption of electronic displays. However, one issue was not identified that can hinder further efficiency gains: the wireless communication.
The recent book The dark cloud (How the digital world is costing the earth) By Guillame Pitron (2022) describes how the online world is costing the earth and sets out to scrap the myth of the “digitalisation” of our plugged-in lifestyles and sheds light on the pollution caused by digital technology:
“Digital natives will be the promoters of an increase in electricity consumption by the digital sector as early as 2025, thus accounting for 20 per cent of world production and 7.5 per cent of total greenhouse.“
The main environmental impacts for this wireless technology arise from use-phase energy consumption. Lower energy use will lower associated environmental impacts, consumer costs and energy supply industry turnover. Energy efficiency requirements will aim to achieve the lowest lifecycle consumer cost level, so cost savings will tend to offset product price rises.
On this respect, ESC requires to update Ecodesign and energy labelling Program according to:
1) To enact stronger regulation to protect the environment from all the impacts of 5g and digitalization: this means to update Directive 2011/92/EU to include 5G deployment and all telecommunication as projects in Annex 1 to ensure that such projects are made subject to environmental assessment or a screening as prescribed by the directive;
2)To Reduce the massive electricity consumption caused by digital communication technology, e.g. by prioritizing wired solutions and low energy solutions in the action plan for the European Green Deal. According to Directive 2012/27/EU on energy efficiency, the Union places energy efficiency and the need for decoupling energy use from economic growth at the core of the Union energy strategy. But many devices breach this directive:
– many Wi-Fi Routers, because the default transmit power level is set to maximum and they are used in several frequency ranges at the same time: 2.4 / 5 / 6 / 60GHz;
– many wireless smart meters, because they needlessly consume energy by constantly monitoring devices and cause dirty electricity. Electrical/Phone and Fibre Cables can all be used to transfer smart meter data;
– energy consumption forecast for Information and Communication Technology (ICT) devices and services: smartphones, computers, data centers, antennas, internet, etc.;
3) To Include “Waste from Electrical and Electronical Equipment” (WEEE), other waste products, and the environmental impacts of mining for rare earth minerals and metals used in electronical equipment in the “Zero pollution action plan”;
4) To Update Ecodesign Directive from 2009 setting tight limits to resource and energy waste of all connected devices including antennas and satellites.
Europeans for Safe Connections (ESC) is a ‘umbrella’ NGO (Transparency Register is: 424431650962-92) born as alliance of organizations in Europe that will work together in order to obtain better regulation and a general understanding and acceptance in society that Electromagnetic Fields have adverse effects on life and the environment.