NEWS

This year, we are excited to celebrate our 45^th 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.

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 .

EGMF, and 16 fellow European industry associations, welcome the European Commission’s initiative for a European standardisation strategy that aims to support the digital transformation and the green transition. Standards are at the core of the EU Single Market and the New Legislative Framework for products, and key to the EU’s economic integration that is imperative in today’s geopolitical context.

We support the ambition to take a more proactive approach towards strategy setting for standards. The proposed actions should consolidate the strengths of the existing system and consequently preserve the inclusive and successful market-driven nature of the standardisation processes.

Based on the observations of industry leaders and experts active in standardisation, we urge policy-makers to consider the following elements when implementing the strategy and remain available for a constructive dialogue on how the EU can lead in standardisation.

Together we set out our recommendations.

Download our joint industry statement.

The NRMM Stage V FAQ has been updated by the ITF NRMM group (which EGMF is part of) to reflect recent amendments to the Regulation (EU) 2016/1628, namely the Regulations (EU) 2020/1040 and (EU) 2021/1068 which were published to cover transitional provisions in order to address the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on machines and their transition engines in specific power categories.

Some additional questions and answers have been added to clarify specific scenarios: for instance, the time limit for the sale of machine if the latter are in stock and have an engine of an emission stage prior to Stage V installed; or whether an engine or a machine is considered as placed on the market in two cases (the engine or a machine is at a distributor within the EU, or if there is an engine within the premises of an OEM within the EU). Additionally, the ITF NRMM drafted two new sections related to the acceptance of equivalent engine emission type-approvals, and also the impact of Brexit on NRMM engines and machines.

Consult the document here.

Several types of outdoor power equipment are impacted by the Directive 2011/65/EU, the so-called RoHS 2 Directive. Therefore, EGMF submitted on 14 March its comments on the RoHS revision inception impact assessment roadmap. The purpose of this roadmap is to provide an initial non-exhaustive list of possible options identified by the European Commission regarding the review of the RoHS Directive, which is scheduled for Q4 2022.

EGMF paper aims to share our key observations and asks regarding the revision of the RoHS Directive:

• 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.
• As regards the RoHS revision roadmap, EGMF supports a combination of options 2 and 3, namely ‘Simplify and clarify the RoHS Directive by introducing and revising legislative measures’ and ‘Transform the RoHS Directive into a regulation’. However, we oppose to options 4 and 5 that aim to repeal the RoHS Directive and incorporate its provisions into the REACH Regulation and/or the upcoming Sustainable Products Initiative.

To consult the document click here