EU Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR)

This card focuses on the core framework provisions of the EU Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2024/1781, ESPR): its "scope of application (nearly all physical products)," the "core ecodesign requirement parameters (Article 5)," and the "ban on destroying unsold consumer goods (Article 25)." Where the previous Ecodesign Directive (Directive 2009/125/EC) covered only energy-related products, the ESPR substantially expands the scope to nearly all physical products (including components and intermediate products), with exceptions for food, feed, medicinal products, and living organisms. The Regulation itself does not set specific requirement levels for individual products; obligations arise in stages as the European Commission adopts delegated acts for each product category. The core parameters covered by ecodesign requirements span a wide range: durability, reliability, reusability, upgradability, reparability, the presence of substances of concern, energy/water/resource use efficiency, recycled content, the possibility of remanufacturing/recycling/material recovery, environmental footprint, and expected waste generation. The Regulation also sets out, without waiting for a delegated act, a ban on destroying unsold apparel, clothing accessories and footwear, which under Article 25(1) has applied since July 19, 2026 (it does not apply to micro and small enterprises, and applies to medium-sized enterprises from July 19, 2030).

This card focuses on the specific operational practice for the "Digital Product Passport (DPP)" system established under Articles 9–12 and other provisions of the ESPR, covering the technical specifications of the data carrier (such as a QR code), the tiered design of data access rights, and the operation of the product registration registry. The DPP assigns each covered product a unique identifier, and makes information such as material composition, environmental performance, reparability information, and regulatory compliance status accessible in machine-readable form through a data carrier — a QR code, data matrix, RFID tag, or similar — displayed on the product itself or its packaging. Exactly which information items must be included in the DPP, and from which product category obligations begin, is determined not by the ESPR itself but individually through the delegated act for each product category. The DPP is designed around a tiered access-rights model in which the scope of disclosure differs depending on the type of user — consumers, businesses, market surveillance authorities, recyclers, and so on.

This card focuses on the specific operational practice for the "core ecodesign requirement parameters" enumerated in Article 5 of the ESPR, and the operational distinction between the two categories of requirements the European Commission sets for each product category: "performance requirements" and "information requirements." The parameters set out in Article 5 span a wide range: durability, reliability, reusability, upgradability, reparability, the possibility of maintenance and refurbishment, the presence of substances of concern, energy use and efficiency, water use and efficiency, resource use and efficiency, recycled content, the possibility of remanufacturing, the possibility of recycling, the possibility of material recovery, environmental impacts (including carbon and environmental footprint), and expected waste generation. For each product category's delegated act, the European Commission individually decides which of these parameters to set as "performance requirements" (minimum performance thresholds the product must meet) and which to set as "information requirements" (data items that must be disclosed, such as via the Digital Product Passport).

This card focuses on the specific operational practice for the "delegated act adoption process" that actually gives rise to the ESPR's concrete obligations, and the priority product categories set out in the "2025–2030 Ecodesign and Energy Labelling Working Plan" the European Commission adopted on April 16, 2025. The ESPR itself does not set specific requirement levels for individual product categories; legally binding obligations arise only once the European Commission conducts preparatory studies and impact assessments, consults stakeholders through the Ecodesign Forum, and adopts an individual delegated act for each product category. The first Working Plan identified new categories such as textiles (apparel and footwear), furniture, iron and steel, and aluminium as priority implementation targets, alongside energy-related products carried over from the previous Ecodesign Directive. Each delegated act generally includes a minimum transition period of 18 months so that affected businesses have time to prepare.

This card focuses on the evaluation parameters, display obligations, and prospects for horizontal expansion to other product categories of the "repairability score (Grades A–E)" system that has applied to smartphones, feature phones, cordless phones, and tablets since June 20, 2025. This repairability score is based on the Ecodesign Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2023/1670) and the Energy Label Delegated Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2023/1669), and specialises for smartphones and tablets a general repairability assessment methodology developed by the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC) in 2019. The assessment combines factors such as the number of steps required for disassembly, whether proprietary tools are needed, the availability and price of spare parts, the duration of software support, and the availability of repair manuals, and is displayed on the energy label on a five-tier scale from A (easiest to repair) to E (hardest to repair). Covered products are also required to be registered in the EU's product database (EPREL). This system is an early implementation of the repairability parameter concept established under Article 5 of the ESPR, and based on the ESPR's Working Plan, it may be expanded horizontally to other home appliance and electronics categories in the future.