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Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) 2024/1781

Last reviewed: October 2026 · Sources listed at the end of this page.

Regulation (EU) 2024/1781 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 June 2024 establishing a framework for the setting of ecodesign requirements for sustainable products — the "Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation" or ESPR — repealed and replaced Directive 2009/125/EC (the original Ecodesign Directive). It entered into force on 18 July 2024 and applies from that date for the horizontal framework. Product-specific requirements are adopted through Commission Delegated Regulations ("ecodesign requirements") covering individual product groups; until those are adopted, the predecessor's product-specific Implementing Regulations under Directive 2009/125/EC continue to apply. Published as OJ L, 2024/1781, 28.6.2024.

At a glance. The ESPR is the EU framework for product sustainability rules. The framework applies, but most duties arrive through delegated acts, and no product-group act had been reported as adopted under it at this review. A Notified Body is not needed by default: Module A is the expected route unless a delegated act says otherwise. The one direct duty with a passed date is the ban on destroying unsold apparel and footwear, which has applied to large enterprises since 19 July 2026.

Legal status and timeline

Scope: products covered

Article 1(2) applies the Regulation to "any physical goods that are placed on the market or put into service, including components and intermediate products". This is a substantial extension over Directive 2009/125/EC, which was limited to "energy-related products". The ESPR can apply, in principle, to almost any product, except those excluded in Article 1(2), such as food, feed, medicinal products, living plants, animals and microorganisms, products of human origin, products of plants and animals directly related to their future reproduction, and certain vehicles for aspects already covered by type-approval law.

The Regulation does not directly impose requirements on products; it empowers the Commission to adopt delegated regulations setting ecodesign requirements for specific product groups. Each delegated regulation defines its scope precisely.

Ecodesign requirements

Article 5 and Annex I list aspects on which ecodesign requirements may be set:

Requirements may be either "performance requirements" (for example, a minimum number of durability cycles) or "information requirements" (for example, disclosure of a repairability score).

Delegated-act status by product group

The ESPR and Energy Labelling Working Plan 2025–2030, COM(2025) 187 of 16 April 2025, gives indicative years. They are planning dates, not legal deadlines, and an obligation exists only once a delegated act is adopted and applies.

GroupIndicative yearStatus at this review
Iron and steel2026Call for evidence ran from 20 May to 12 August 2026. Not adopted; the Commission is reported to target the fourth quarter of 2026
Textiles (apparel)2027In preparation; no draft act found
Tyres2027In preparation; no draft act found
Aluminium2027In preparation
Furniture2028Not started in legal form
Mattresses2029Not started in legal form
Horizontal repairability rules2027Product scope to be determined
Recycled content and recyclability of electrical and electronic equipment2029Not started in legal form

The working plan also lists energy-related products carried over from the Directive, such as dishwashers, EV chargers, refrigerators, electric motors, and mobile phones and tablets. These are reviews of existing or planned measures on their own timetable.

What to do if your product is in a group

A delegated act normally gives at least 18 months between entry into force and application, so a mill or apparel brand has less time than the timetable suggests once supplier data must be collected. A sensible order is: map your product against the likely group; identify the data you cannot yet obtain from suppliers, such as carbon footprint, recycled content or substances of concern; and follow the Commission's consultations for the group. Do not build to draft requirements as if they were final.

Existing ecodesign rules still apply

A manufacturer of a washing machine, television, external power supply or smartphone is already under ecodesign rules, through implementing regulations adopted under Directive 2009/125/EC. Those remain in force until replaced. The ESPR does not suspend them, so "ESPR has no delegated acts yet" does not mean "no ecodesign duty applies". For example, smartphones and tablets have been covered by Regulation (EU) 2023/1670 since 20 June 2025, and external power supplies by Regulation (EU) 2019/1782.

Digital Product Passport

Articles 9 to 15 of the ESPR establish the Digital Product Passport (DPP) as a central instrument. Each delegated regulation specifies the data elements of the DPP for the product group it covers. The DPP makes information accessible via a data carrier (typically QR code or NFC) linking to a digital record. Required data may include:

The DPP registry (Article 13) is connected to customs systems (Article 15), and the DPP is accessible to consumers, repairers, recyclers, market surveillance authorities, and other stakeholders with tiered access rights. The registry and six supporting harmonised standards (Implementing Decision (EU) 2026/1736) arrived in July 2026, but neither creates a duty for a product until its delegated act does. See Digital Product Passport.

Prohibition of destruction of unsold consumer products

Chapter VI treats unsold goods separately from product design rules. These duties apply directly, without a product-group delegated act, and they bind the operator discarding the goods, which may be a retailer or brand rather than the manufacturer.

Enterprise sizeDestruction ban: Annex VII apparel, accessories, footwear (Article 25)Disclosure: all unsold consumer products discarded (Article 24)
LargeSince 19 July 2026Since 19 July 2025; prescribed format from 2 March 2027
Medium-sizedFrom 19 July 2030From 19 July 2030
Small and microExcludedExcluded

The Commission may add further product categories to Annex VII by delegated act. Other unsold goods are not banned from destruction today, but a large enterprise that discards them must disclose it.

Derogations: Delegated Regulation (EU) 2026/296

Applying from 19 July 2026, this act lists when destruction remains permitted. The grounds include:

The operator must keep documentation for five years. Check the exact conditions in the act before relying on a ground: "unsold" stock that is merely unfashionable or costly to store does not qualify on that basis.

Disclosure: Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/2

Article 24(1) requires annual public disclosure of the number and weight of unsold consumer products discarded, the reasons, and where they went. The Implementing Regulation applies from 2 March 2027 and fixes the format. Disclosure is reported as due within 12 months of the end of the financial year.

Worked example

A large apparel retailer has unsold jackets at season end. It may not send them for destruction, and recycling counts as destruction unless a derogation applies. It can sell them through other channels or donate them. If 500 jackets are mouldy and beyond repair, the derogation for damaged goods may apply, and the retailer records the grounds and evidence and includes them in its disclosure. A 30-person brand with the same stock is outside both duties. A 300-person brand selling unsold ceramics is outside the ban, since ceramics are not in Annex VII, but within disclosure if it discards them.

Conformity assessment

Each delegated regulation specifies the conformity assessment procedure for its product group (Article 43). The default is Module A, internal production control (Annex IV). A delegated regulation may require a route involving a Notified Body where third-party assessment is justified.

Technical documentation

Article 27 and Annex IV require technical documentation specific to each ecodesign requirement. Retention: 10 years. See technical documentation.

EU Declaration of Conformity

Article 44 and Annex V. The Declaration may be embedded in the DPP. See EU Declaration of Conformity.

Marking and labelling

Articles 45 and 46 require the CE marking. Delegated regulations may require additional marking (e.g., the Energy Label under Regulation (EU) 2017/1369, the EU Ecolabel under Regulation (EC) 66/2010, where applicable). See affixing the CE mark.

Recent and upcoming changes

Related legislation

Common errors

Frequently asked questions

Is the ban on destroying unsold clothes in force?

Yes. Since 19 July 2026 large enterprises may not destroy unsold apparel, clothing accessories and footwear listed in Annex VII, subject to the derogations in Delegated Regulation (EU) 2026/296. Medium-sized enterprises follow on 19 July 2030. Micro and small enterprises are excluded.

Have any ESPR delegated acts been adopted?

Not for a product group at this review. Delegated Regulation (EU) 2026/296 is an ESPR delegated act, but it sets unsold-goods derogations rather than ecodesign requirements. Iron and steel is expected first, with the Commission reported to target the fourth quarter of 2026.

Does the ESPR replace existing ecodesign regulations?

Not yet. Implementing regulations adopted under Directive 2009/125/EC stay in force until replaced, so appliances, displays and chargers already covered remain bound by them.

Do ESPR products need CE marking?

Yes, where a delegated regulation applies to the product. Conformity is declared in an EU Declaration of Conformity and shown by CE marking under Articles 44 to 46. Until then the ESPR adds no CE duty of its own.

Does the ESPR need a Notified Body?

Usually not. Module A internal production control is the default route, and a delegated regulation may require third-party assessment where justified.

Sources

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