A growing number of EU regulations focuses on the life cycle impacts of products; as well as waste and pollution, they are now addressing new types of issues such as product durability and life span. This volume discusses the best legal and regulatory practices to encourage a sustainable society.

1. Developing legislation to prevent environmental damage from products: Herculean but necessary task Hans Christian Bugge, Carl Dalhammar and Eléonore Maitre-Ekern; Part I. Structural Issues Associated with Regulating the Life-Cycle of Products: 2. Exploring the spaceship Earth: a circular economy for products Eléonore Maitre-Ekern; 3. Principles for the design of a policy framework to address product life-cycle impacts Michael Faure and Carl Dalhammar; 4. The harm of products and the need of information on inputs, production, use, and disposal Erling Eide; 5. Redefining agency theory to internalize environmental product externalities. A tentative proposal based on life-cycle thinking Beate Sjåfjell; 6. Environmental measures as an obstacle to free movement of goods in the internal market Nicolas de Sadeleer; Part II. Challenges Related to the Application of European Product Law: 7. Dieselgate and the protection of the environment by public authorities Ludwig Krämer; 8. Energy efficiency regulations, market and behavioural failures, and standardization Carl Dalhammar, Jessika Luth Richter and Erika Machacek; 9. Regulating recyclability under the Ecodesign Directive: how can we achieve synergies between waste and product policies for electric and electronic equipment in order to promote recycling? Sahra Svensson and Carl Dalhammar; 10. Material recycling without hazardous substances - interplay of two policy streams and impacts on industry Naoko Tojo and Åke Thidell; 11. Complexities and conflicts in controlling dangerous chemicals: the case of regulating endocrine disruptors in EU law Nertila Kuraj; 12. Long-term market effects of green public procurement Charlotte Leire and Carl Dalhammar; Part III. Conclusion by the Editors: 13. Present and future challenges for Europe's environmental product policy Eléonore Maitre-Ekern, Hans Christian Bugge and Carl Dalhammar.