Brazil, Germany, and the Netherlands explore the promotion of trade-in of consumer goods——

Upgrading to promote consumption, green environmental protection and energy saving (international perspective)

In order to promote consumption upgrading, energy conservation and emission reduction, some countries have actively explored and promoted the trade-in of consumer goods such as automobiles and home appliances in recent years. Brazil, Germany and the Netherlands have launched support policies in relevant fields, calling on the whole society to take action to gradually eliminate backward production capacity products with high energy consumption, long service life and potential safety hazards, and accelerate the application of green, low-carbon and intelligent products, which not only better meet the needs of people's quality of life upgrading, but also promote energy conservation, emission reduction and resource recycling.

　　Brazil –

　　The purchase of household appliances is convenient for people's lives

　　"The refrigerator at home has been used for many years, not only does it consume high energy, but the cooling effect is not very good. When I heard that Equator Energy had launched a trade-in program, I thought it was a good deal and decided to get a new one. Luis, a resident of Teresina, the capital of the Brazilian state of Piauí, told reporters that his family had just "won the lottery" to replace the refrigerator for free, "The new refrigerator is more energy-efficient and easy to use." It also has a lot of new features that really make our lives easier. ”

　　From January to February this year, Brazil's Equator Energy launched the "E+ New Refrigerator" program in the state of Piauí, providing free refrigerator replacement for some low-income families in the state. Residents participating in the event are required to provide proof of identity, tax identification number and the latest electricity bill for eligibility verification, after which the company will draw lucky customers from the lucky customers to recycle their old refrigerators and provide them with new refrigerators with the highest energy efficiency rating for free. The program has provided residents in 19 cities with a total of about 1,000 refrigerators replaced free of charge. Dianne Pereira, head of Equator Energy's Energy Efficiency program, said that replacing old energy-intensive refrigerators with new energy-efficient refrigerators is not only more energy-efficient, but also provides a safer experience.

　　As part of the Brazilian Electricity Regulatory Authority's "Energy Efficiency" program, the state of Piauí has adopted a number of trade-in programs in recent years, which reduce the cost of replacing appliances and increase consumers' willingness to replace appliances through discounts, subsidies or free replacement. According to the data, in 2022, Equator Energy replaced more than 4,000 appliances for residents in the capital and metropolitan area of Piauí through a "trade-in subsidy" program, including 1,348 refrigerators, 1,200 inverter air conditioners, 330 LCD TVs and 1,600 fans.

　　Replacement of old appliances will also be further disposed of. Sergio, president of the Brazilian Electronics and Household Appliances Recycling Association, said that recycling companies will disassemble old household appliances in an environmentally friendly way, collect metals, plastics, glass, etc., and reintroduce them into the production chain to improve the efficiency of resource recycling and reduce the pollution of electronic waste to the environment.

　　In addition to state power companies that have programs to encourage the trade-in of appliances, the Brazilian federal government has also developed relevant policies. In July 2023, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula proposed that old household appliances have problems such as high noise and high energy consumption, and suggested that policies should be adopted to reduce the consumer price of household appliances and encourage more people to buy new home appliances. Since then, the Brazilian government has asked the Ministry of Planning to allocate part of its budget to support the trade-in of old appliances in order to facilitate the purchase of new appliances by families. The Brazilian industry will also submit a plan to the federal government to further improve the top-level design of home appliance trade-in, and improve the targeting and effectiveness of the policy.

　　Germany –

　　Vehicle updates help the industry reduce emissions

　　Germany is a major producer and consumer of automobiles. According to the data, around 20% of Germany's greenhouse gas emissions come from the transport sector. In recent years, Germany has taken various initiatives to promote the replacement of vehicles in order to improve energy efficiency more effectively and reduce carbon emissions.

　　Since July 2023, the German Federal Government has been implementing the "National Truck Replacement Program". Truck owners receive federal subsidies for the purchase and equipping of energy-efficient components. The program offers discounts ranging from 15 to 25 percent and a subsidy of up to 5,000 euros per functional part per truck. The purchase of an "e-trailer", i.e. a trailer driven by an integrated electric motor, can be financed up to 10,000 euros.

　　This program is a continuation of the previous National Truck Renewal Program. In December 2020, the German Federal Ministry for Digitalization and Transport announced a truck trade-in program for N2 and N3 vehicles with a gross weight of 7.5 tons or more. The government will provide a subsidy of up to 15,000 euros if the owner of the truck scraps an old truck with a lower emission class and buys a new truck that meets current emission standards, or an electric or hydrogen-powered truck. In 2022, the program has been carried out three times, not only to stimulate consumption, but also to promote electric and hydrogen-powered vehicles. Schoil, former Federal Minister for Digitalisation and Transport, said: "Pushing for the replacement of old trucks with new ones with cleaner engines reduces carbon emissions, boosts jobs and boosts the economy. ”

　　The truck trade-in program is now part of Germany's climate protection plan. Federal Minister for Digitalization and Transport Wisin said there is a growing demand for the promotion of clean trucks, with three out of every four newly registered heavy-duty vehicles expected to be zero-emission by 2030.

　　In addition to trucks, the German government has also introduced a subsidy policy for the trade-in of cars on several occasions. In 2006, Germany introduced the "Environmental Protection Incentive for the Purchase of New Cars" measure to promote the sale of new cars. Consumers who scrap old cars that have been driven for more than 9 years within the specified period can receive a car purchase subsidy of up to 2,500 euros for the purchase of new cars that meet environmental standards. At the time, this policy drove German car sales against the trend.

　　Netherlands –

　　Housing renovation to achieve good benefits

　　Laura, a citizen of Rotterdam, the Netherlands, owns a detached house with a usable area of 225 square meters, which is nearly 100 years old, although it was renovated once at the beginning of this century, but more than 20 years have passed, the original energy-saving measures are aging, and the cost of heating in winter is high. Laura told reporters that at first she wanted to carry out a small-scale energy-saving renovation of the house, but after hearing that there was a government subsidy, she decided to "do a big job" and make her house an "energy-saving star".

　　The subsidy policy that Laura is talking about is the Dutch government's subsidy scheme for sustainable energy and energy-saving investment. Under this policy, Dutch family or business homeowners can receive subsidies for energy-efficient renovation and sustainable measures in their homes, as well as subsidies for the replacement of some appliances and equipment. In 2024, the budget for this subsidy will be increased from 560 million euros in 2023 to 600 million euros and will continue until 2030. From January to March this year, more than 52,000 applications were received for the subsidy, involving more than 79,000 energy-saving equipment renewal or renovation plans.

　　"If you want to apply for subsidies, you need to choose energy-saving materials certified by the government, and then make a renovation construction plan, and ensure that these details are in place during the construction process." Laura said. If a house is renovated with multiple energy-efficient renovations, the subsidy can be doubled. For example, combining insulation with the installation of heat pumps, solar water heaters or connection to the heating network can provide multiple subsidies at the same time. Subsidies of up to 4,100 euros are available for the installation of solar water heaters, 3,325 euros for energy-saving equipment connected to the heating network, and 400 euros for electric cooking stoves for domestic use.

　　Laura said that driven by the energy-saving subsidy policy, she plans to transform her roof into a green roof, first reinforcing the roof, laying waterproofing materials, and then planting some moss and succulents. "These plants are equivalent to a layer of natural insulation on the roof."

　　Since the implementation of the subsidy policy for energy-saving renovation of houses, many residential and commercial buildings in the Netherlands have achieved energy efficiency improvement, reduced energy consumption and carbon emissions, and promoted the development of energy-saving and environmental protection equipment-related fields, created new employment opportunities, and achieved good economic and social benefits. According to the energy efficiency and emissions targets set by the European Union, the Netherlands plans to renovate 300,000 homes per year by 2050, which is expected to reduce carbon emissions by 50%.