EGMF

Gardening from a Professional view

Anne Claire Rasselet

From lawnmowers to outdoor power equipment: the origins and evolution of EGMF

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This year, we are excited to celebrate our 45th anniversary! To mark this occasion, we will be taking a trip down memory lane with our members, remembering the origins of EGMF and acknowledging how we have evolved and arrived at where we are today.

Responding to the changes occurring in society, and the many regulatory files shaping the European Union, EGMF is proud to be driving the European outdoor power equipment industry towards a greener, digital and more resilient future.

Created in 1977, back then, the association was the European Lawnmower Manufacturers Federation. Its main members were European manufacturers of lawnmowers and grass cutting equipment for domestic, recreational and municipal use, and the national associations representing these manufacturers in Germany and the United Kingdom.

Initially, the main aim of the association was to produce technical documents on European and international standardisation in the fields of safety, noise, environmental impact and performance. The association worked in close cooperation with the European Commission on the preparation of Directives on the free circulation and use of lawnmowers and garden equipment in the European Union.

Since then, EGMF’s name, scope and activities have evolved over the past 45 years. Around 15 years after its creation, the association expanded from lawnmowers to garden machinery, becoming the European Garden machinery Manufacturers Federation in 1993, EGMF for short.

Again in 2001, the association was renamed the European Garden Machinery industry Federation to reflect the growing and evolving industry. EGMF now represents more than basic garden equipment, welcoming manufacturers of garden, landscaping, forestry and turf maintenance equipment.

In 1998, with a view to improving our contact and relationship with the European institutions and decision-makers in Brussels, we established our general secretariat with Orgalim, the European Federation representing Europe’s technology industries. To increase our activity and representation,  EGMF is also a member of Orgalim.

Today, we continue to be the voice of garden machinery and outdoor power equipment industry providing expertise to stakeholders on technical and market issues. We also provide a forum where European manufacturers can meet, work together and exchange knowledge as well as look towards new challenges and trends for our sector.

Driven by the three main principles of quality, innovation and sustainability, our work has evolved through the years to reflects the demands and needs for European society, while ensuring the highest quality and environmental performance.

With two key ambitions on Europe’s agenda being top priorities for EGMF, moving towards a climate-neutral society and the digital transformation will see us focus more than ever on unity and cooperation. Something that is an integral part of our strategy!

Fun facts about EGMF:

  • EGMF and its members share with households, municipalities, landscapers and greenkeepers the responsibility for green area maintenance, which improves the quality of our lives!
  • EGMF is the most powerful network representing the garden machinery and outdoor power equipment sector in Europe. Today, EGMF gathers 30 companies and 7 national associations.  
  • 2021 was a record year for the outdoor power equipment industry! EGMF member companies sold over 23 million units on the European market (39 countries)
  • The top 3 most popular garden and outdoor power equipment are brushcutters, walk-behind mowers and chainsaws. 
  • To highlight the growing electrification of the garden and outdoor power equipment, for the first time in 2020, EGMF member companies sold more battery powered equipment than internal combustion engine equipment!

To find out more, you see our members here and latest publications here.

EGMF EPTA position paper on the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation proposal

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We are pleased to share our joint position paper, developed with EPTA, on the European Commission’s Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) proposal, which aims to provide our comments on various aspects of high relevance to us.

This paper follows our participation in the Sustainable Products Initiative consultations, our previous joint position paper, and latest response to the Commission’s ESPR consultation.

We express strong support for:

  • The proposal’s push to improve the resource efficiency of the European economy, while levelling the playing field by harmonising European rules.
  • The intended product-by-product approach to tackle the various product categories that will be regulated.
  • The Commission’s intention to integrate the input and specialised knowledge of external stakeholders into the EPSR and setting out an ESPR standardisation roadmap.

However, we would also like to draw attention to several aspects that we believe need clarification or are highly concerning for us, including:

  • The granularity, type, and accessibility of information in the Digital Product Passport.
  • The clarity, relevance and necessity to tailor specific performance and information requirements to given product groups.
  • The need to include concepts such as intended use, specified conditions of use, and maintenance.
  • The vital importance of not regulating chemicals under the ESPR, rather through existing legislation on substances such as the REACH Regulation or the RoHS Directive.

Download the full paper here.

EGMF suggests simplifying and clarifying the RoHS Directive

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Several types of outdoor power equipment are impacted by the Directive 2011/65/EU, the so-called RoHS 2 Directive. Therefore, EGMF provided comments on the RoHS revision inception impact assessment roadmap and responded to the public consultation.

EGMF considers that the Directive has been effective, has prevented the multiplication of legislation restricting use of hazardous substances at national level and possible inconsistencies and has played a positive role at international level. However, the Directive still needs to be improved, especially the lengthy and inefficient process to renew exemptions, resulting in uncertainties for manufacturers. Therefore, EGMF suggests simplifying and clarifying the RoHS Directive by introducing and revising legislative measures and transforming the RoHS Directive into a regulation.

To read our recommendations in full, please download the EGMF position paper and the response to the public consultation.

EGMF comments on the ‘Empowering the consumer for the green transition’ initiative

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On 23 May, EGMF issued a position paper on the ‘Empowering the consumer for the green transition’ initiative’s legislative proposal, adopted by the European Commission on 30 March 2022. It amends the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive 2005/29/EC and the Consumer Rights Directive 2011/83/EU.

The position paper provides additional feedback to the European Commission, which will be combined with the input they receive from other stakeholders, summarised, and presented to the European Parliament and Council with the aim of feeding into the legislative debate.

They key points that we raise include:

  • The issue should be tackled through a unified approach at the European level: all measures must be based on EU standards and law, rather than individual and fragmented Member States’ initiatives and interpretations, with the French Repairability Index being a prime example of such.
  • We also call for full harmonisation of the use of standards and EU legislation application, and caution against multiplying and overlapping with other measures, such as the Commission’s proposed revised Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR), the upcoming legislative proposal on Substantiating Green Claims using the PEF/OEF methods, and any other labelling requirements.
  • Lastly, we call for the educational measures, like environmental literacy and awareness-raising campaigns, to complement labels in terms of influencing consumer behaviour.

For more details and examples, read our position paper here.

EGMF comments on the potential inclusion of lead metal in REACH Annex XIV

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EGMF, together with 30 other industry organisations, provided the downstream users perspective on the potential inclusion of lead metal in REACH Annex XIV. Before proceeding with the inclusion of a widely used and critical substance such as lead, we strongly recommend to the EU Commission and ECHA to first launch an deep and detailed impact assessment and figure out the normative requirements that reference to REACH Annex XIV. This is critical to decide if the benefits from adding lead to REACH Annex XIV would outweigh all the consequent impacts.

EGMF also published a position paper regarding the potential consequences for garden, landscaping, forestry and turf equipment manufacturers, since lead in alloys is essential for the reliability and durability of garden and outdoor power equipment.

To read our recommendations in full, please download the EGMF position paper and the joint industry document.

EGMF comments on the ‘Sustainable consumption of goods – promoting repair and reuse’ Initiative public consultation

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On 21 April 2022, EGMF issued a position paper on the ‘Sustainable consumption of goods – promoting repair and reuse’ initiative, currently under development by the European Commission and expected to be adopted in Q3 2022.

This position paper aims to provide additional comments on several aspects and potential measures that were outlined in the Commission’s public consultation questionnaire, to which EGMF responded.

These are our key messages:

  • The new ‘right to repair’ and its financial impacts need to be clearly defined, underlining that B2C and B2B should be regulated in specific ways.
  • The economic and environmental dynamics of companies’ operations and the products they use need to be considered when analysing measures like extended legal guarantees and mandatory repairs in order to avoid extending the use of inefficient products and maintenance negligence.
  • ‘Second-hand’ and ‘refurbished’ goods need precise definitions, and any measures must not ignore the various issues related to potential purchasing incentives, and the responsibility for performance and risk evaluations.
  • We raise caution about incentivising repair by independent repairers, specifically when it comes to electrical and electronic equipment, and highlight the risks of data sharing with external entities. We also stress on the necessity to raise awareness on the importance of maintenance to ensure the safety and optimum lifetime of all products.

Find more details and examples in our position paper here .