Environmental Improvement of Passenger Cars (IMPRO-car)

The Communication on Integrated Product Policy (COM (2003) 302 final), announced that the European Commission will seek to identify and stimulate action on products with the greatest potential for environmental improvement. This work had been scheduled into three phases: ¿ first phase consisting of research to identify the products with the greatest environmental impact from a life cycle perspective consumed in the EU ¿ second phase which consists in the identification of possible ways to reduce the life cycle environmental impacts of some of the products with the greatest environmental impact ¿ the third phase the European Commission will seek to address policy measures for the products that are identified as having the greatest potential for environmental improvement at least socio-economic cost. first phase was completed in May 2006 with the EIPRO study led by the IPTS (JRC) in cooperation with ESTO research network organisations. The study identified the products consumed in the EU having the greatest environmental impact from a life-cycle perspective. The study showed that groups of products from only three areas of consumption - food and drink, private transportation, and housing - are together responsible for 70% to 80% of the environmental impacts of private consumption and account for some 60% of consumption expenditure. EIPRO project conclusions thus suggested initiating the second phase of the work scheduled in the IPP communication on these three groups of products. To this end, three parallel projects were launched and coordinated by the IPTS in late 2005, dealing with the Environmental IMprovement of PROducts (IMPRO, respectively IMPRO-car, IMPRO-meat, and IMPRO-buildings).