On 6 January 2006 a protocol of co-operation was signed between the Department of the Environment and Housing, the Agència de Residus de Catalunya and the Centre for Business Innovation and Development (CIDEM), for the development of an ecodesign project in the toys with electrical and/or electronic components sector.

Because the application of ecodesign is effective and causes a change in the market, a project has been designed integrating all those involved and tools applied following the recommendations of the Integrated Product Policy (IPP) of the European Union.

The project will have a duration of three years and aims to respond both to the needs of the Catalan companies in the sector to differentiate themselves from the competition using the environmental factor, as well as to comply with the emerging legislation on electrical and electronic products and the management of their waste. The companies participating in the project are: NINCO, SA; Autoracing, SL; Educa Borras, SA and IMC Toys.

The Agència de Residus de Catalunya, through the Catalan Centre for Recycling, will assume the leadership in the participation section of the protocol. In this group of tasks a guide for the application of ecodesign will be produced, putting special emphasis on design for recycling, which will gather together the results of the project and recommendations of those involved. In addition discussion workshops and work together with the companies will be organised so that the measures adopted are successful on the market.

CIDEM will develop the technical section of the protocol, which will include, firstly, environmental evaluation studies, by means of the analysis of the life cycle of four products, one from each participating company, and their packaging. With the results of these analyses, ecodesign alternatives will be proposed and, especially, design for recycling, for all the systems studied. In carrying out these studies, the corresponding ISO regulations will be followed.

The Department of the Environment and Housing, through the Directorate General for Environmental Quality, will be responsible for the development of the dissemination section of the protocol. As part of this section, information days will be organised on ecodesign and design for recycling aimed at the electrical and electronic equipment sector. Similarly, a system of type II ecolabels in accordance with ISO 14020 will be designed and introduced, that is, environmental self-declarations in the toy industry. Finally, a product panel will be established, where those involved in the market that is the object of the study will participate in the definition of the project actions.

The scientific and technical tasks will be led by the Environmental Research Group of the Escola Superior de Comerç Internacional (UPF).

Also participating as observers, and giving support in consultancy work, will be the PIMEC (Micro, small and medium companies of Catalonia) employers’ organisation, the toy companies’ association ANCOJ (National Association of Toy Merchants) and the ECOTIC Foundation, which will be responsible for managing the electrical and electronic equipment waste.