If like many others in Europe you’ve been following recent media coverage of the ever evolving views of the European Parliament, then you’ll probably be aware of their decision to enforce an outright ban on the continued production of high powered vacuum cleaners. This has proven to be a controversial decision, not least because manufacturers may simply abandon what they see as an unprofitable market sector rather than go to great lengths to pander to the needs of the EU. Then there are the views of the consumer, including feeling frustration at being dictated to by a so called ‘nanny state’.
Whatever your views on this, one thing is sure, it’s not just vacuum cleaners and other household electrical items that will be subject to this umbrella of new legislation in the near future. This week it was announced that a reduction in emissions from combustion engine driven equipment from ‘non road mobile machinery’ is to be put in place. This will include petrol driven lawnmowers, as well as chainsaws, strimmers, and other hand held equipment, but also larger equipment such as railway locomotives and combine harvesters.
To what extent this legislation will impact on manufacturers, and ultimately you as the consumer remains to be seen, but what is clear is that there will certainly be changes. If you know that you’ll be in the market for a mower in the near or more distant future, it might be worth taking the time to understand just what is available to you now, and what changes could mean to you. For instance, the power of many petrol mowers will at present make short work of some of the toughest or largest lawns out there, but if powerful engines are outlawed, tackling these environments could prove a far more laborious task with less powerful machines.
