What is BS EN 45555 - ErP recyclability and recoverability about?

BS EN 45555 discusses the general method for assessing the proportion of recyclable material content in energy-related products. Energy-related products (ErP) are products that use energy, or that do not use energy but have an indirect impact on energy consumption. BS EN 45555 establishes general principles for assessing the recyclability of energy-related products and assessing the recoverability of energy-related products.

BS EN 45555 considers the ability to access or remove certain components, assemblies, materials, or substances from products; to facilitate their extraction at the end-of-life. This eases the treatment, recycling, and other recovery operations. BS EN 45555 also considers the recyclability of critical raw materials (CRMs). BS EN 45555 defines parameters that are applicable for the development of product or product group standards in order to calculate recyclability/recoverability rates.

Note: BS EN 45555 is not applicable to generate publicly available product information and compare products in absence of product standards based on BS EN 45555.

Who is BS EN 45555 - ErP recyclability and recoverability for?

BS EN 45555 on assessing ErP recyclability and recoverability is useful for:

Industry experts on ErP who are involved in creating Standards documents
Energy-related product manufacturers and suppliers
Environmental agencies
Designers of energy-related products

Why should you use BS EN 45555 - ErP recyclability and recoverability?

Energy-related products include air conditioners, ovens, luminaries, and dishwashers; among others. To close the loop in a circular economy, amongst other measures, efficient handling of waste is paramount. To determine the recycling potential of an energy-related product (ErP) in terms of how easy it is to recycle/recover materials from the product or to what degree a product can undergo recycling/recovery, the concepts of recyclability and recoverability are introduced.

BS EN 45555 elaborates on the product characteristics which are relevant for recyclability and recoverability of an entire ErP. The focus is therefore on the recyclability/recoverability of the product itself rather than the recycling or recovery processes. BS EN 45555 provides a general method that is taken into account for the availability and efficiency of the state-of-the-art recycling and recovery processes to determine the recyclability/recoverability rate of an ErP. Based on the reference EoL treatment scenario, it is assumed that the assessment of the recyclability/recoverability of an ErP as a whole may be valid for a certain period of time in a given geographical area.

Since BS EN 45555 defines parameters which are applicable for the development of standards in order to calculate recyclability/recoverability rates; BS EN 45555 serves as a method for writing product or product-group standards, rather than being directly applied. Additional information and requirements not provided in BS EN 45555 will be necessary for product or product-group standards.

BS EN 45555:2019

General methods for assessing the recyclability and recoverability of energy-related products

Current, Under Review

Published:

31 Dec 2019