Compliance

Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation

EU framework regulation that sets sustainability requirements per product group, starting with textiles, steel, aluminium, furniture, tyres and mattresses.

Aliases: ESPR, Regulation (EU) 2024/1781, 可持续产品生态设计法规, 生态设计法规

Framework, not a single rulebook

The Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation, Regulation (EU) 2024/1781, entered into force in July 2024. It replaces the older ecodesign directive with a broader framework covering almost all product categories, and it sets requirements through product-specific delegated acts rather than one text.

That structure determines how a seller should read it: the regulation creates the machinery, and each delegated act creates the obligations.

The first product groups

The Commission's first working plan, published in 2025, prioritises iron and steel, aluminium, textiles with apparel first, furniture including mattresses, and tyres. Additional groups follow, and the plan is reviewed periodically.

For apparel sellers the textile act is the one to watch, because it is expected to combine durability, recyclability and mandatory information requirements.

The requirement toolkit

Delegated acts can impose:

Durability and reliability minimums
Repairability and availability of spare parts
Recycled content shares
Energy and resource efficiency thresholds
Restrictions on substances that hinder recycling
Digital product passport requirements
Mandatory disclosure for unsold consumer products

The passport element is the most consequential for data operations. Each product would carry a machine-readable record of origin, composition and end-of-life handling, accessed through a data carrier on the product.

What it changes for a cross-border seller

Today most sellers hold product data in listing sheets built for marketplaces, not for regulators. ESPR obligations require structured, component-level data with evidence behind it. That is a different data model, and the organisations that build it early will find the transition cheaper.

The regulation also intersects with existing streams. Substance information connects to REACH, packaging connects to the PPWR, and carbon reporting for some goods connects to CBAM. The digital product passport is the thread that ties the product-level records together.

Reading discipline

As of late 2026, most obligations for consumer goods remain in preparation. Treat any specific requirement as applicable only when its delegated act is in force and its application date has passed. Announcements about future requirements are not current obligations.

Primary source: Regulation (EU) 2024/1781; Commission working plan 2025-2030.

FAQ

Is ESPR already binding for consumer products?

The framework applies, but binding requirements come through product-specific delegated acts. Only obligations whose delegated acts are in force and whose application dates have passed are currently enforceable.

Which products are covered first?

The first working plan prioritises iron and steel, aluminium, textiles with apparel first, furniture and mattresses, and tyres. Other groups follow in later plan cycles.

What is the digital product passport under ESPR?

A machine-readable record of a product's sustainability and composition data, accessible through a data carrier. Its exact fields are defined per product group in delegated acts.

Does ESPR replace existing ecodesign rules?

It replaces the ecodesign directive framework and carries over existing energy-related product rules, while extending the approach to non-energy products and to information requirements.

How should a seller prepare now?

Build component-level product data with evidence, because the delegated acts will draw on it. Start with the product group you sell most, and treat data quality as the bottleneck rather than the requirement text.