6 Min Lesezeit

The EU’s Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) builds on the existing Ecodesign Directive and aims to establish a far-reaching circular economy for almost all products. What does the new sustainability standard mean for companies and design? We explain in the first part of our three-part series.

by Martina Metzner

With the ‘Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation’ (ESPR), the EU is focussing on the circular economy | Illustration via DALL:E

Companies that have already invested in sustainability and the circular economy can now sit back and relax. If not, they need to hurry, because the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR), which the European Union published on 18 July 2024, will make sustainability mandatory for products. In it, the EU clearly states that “sustainable products must become the norm”. The ESPR builds on the success of the current Ecodesign Directive and aims to establish a circular economy in line with the EU Green Deal over the coming years – with the ultimate aim of achieving climate neutrality by 2050.

The ESPR is quite comprehensive: whereas the Ecodesign Directive used to focus primarily on energy efficiency, it now looks at the entire life cycle of products – including production, materials, use and end-of-life recycling – in order to significantly reduce the environmental footprint of the individual product and thus of the entire European single market. Design and product development have an important role to play as they determine up to 80% of a product’s environmental impact.

Gradual Implementation

The „Regulation (EU) 2024/1781 of the European Parliament establishing a framework for the setting of ecodesign requirements for sustainable products’ as part of the European ‘Circular Economy Action Plan’ applies to almost all products manufactured or sold in the EU – with a few exceptions such as food and feed, vehicles, pharmaceuticals and live animals and plants. The ESPR acts as a framework that is successively implemented in product-specific legal acts. 

A radical change in the transformation towards a more social, sustainable and circular economy: not only companies are to benefit from the ESPR, which will save energy and make their business competitive for the future, but also consumers. ‘The ESPR enables consumers to save energy, repair broken products rather than replace them, and make smart environmental choices when buying new products,’ says Frans Timmermans, former Vice-President of the European Commission and widely known as “the father of the Green Deal”.

The ‘Farmer’ chair by Gerd Lange for COR is designed for durability with its simple construction. Image © COR

The Success of Ecodesign

But what exactly is changing? To answer this, it is worth comparing the Ecodesign Directive with the ESPR that is now in force. Everyone in the EU is familiar with the Ecodesign Directive – just look at the energy labels on refrigerators and lamps, for example. The Ecodesign Directive for energy-using products was introduced by the EU in 2005. In 2009, it was renewed and extended to cover energy-related products, including products that affect the energy consumption of other systems, such as water-saving taps and showerheads. In Germany, this was transposed into national law with the Energy Consumption-Related Products Act (EVPG). 

The Ecodesign Directive can be considered a success. Appliances in the EU have become more energy efficient since its introduction. For example, EU private households will save €120 million in energy costs in 2021, equivalent to around 10% of their energy needs. However, it is important to recognise that household electricity consumption across Europe has been increasing for several years – the so-called rebound effect. These savings are now to be increased: The ESPR aims to reduce EU-wide CO2 emissions by a third by 2030. This makes the ESPR one of the key pillars of the EU Green Deal, which aims to achieve not only climate neutrality by 2050, but also green economic growth, greater independence from raw materials and more biodiversity.

More and more companies are turning to in-house repair services – like this one at lighting manufacturer IP44.DE in Rheda-Wiedenbrück, Germany | © IP44.DE

Life Cycle in Focus

The ESPR will now extend the eco-design approach to many other areas. These include durability through reuse, refurbishment and repair of products. Recycling also plays an important role, whether through increased recycled content in the materials used or through re-use at the end of the product’s life. The directive also requires the use of critical chemicals to be minimised in order to achieve the EU’s goal of ‘zero pollution of air, water and soil’.

A key element of the new framework is the Digital Product Passport (DDP), which aims to ensure transparency and facilitate circularity. It is intended to provide users and participating companies such as repair firms with information on the technical and ecological performance, critical ingredients and care, repair and recycling options for products. The overall aim is to reduce resource consumption and the CO2 and ecological footprint.

Textile Destruction Banned

The fact that the ESPR will make it illegal to destroy new textiles and shoes in the EU from 2025 has already sparked public debate. This is particularly the case in online retail due to the large number of returns. Textiles are one of the first product groups to be subject to the new requirements, along with furniture, iron, steel and aluminium, cleaning products, chemicals and electronic and communication equipment. In March 2025, the EU intends to present a timetable setting out the requirements for each product group. The first delegated acts are expected in 2026. To prepare for this, the EU will convene an Ecodesign Forum in autumn 2024, bringing together representatives from the countries and sectors concerned to discuss the issues.

The EU recognises the difficulty of implementation for businesses. For this reason, there will be a transition period of 18 months once a product group specific legislation is adopted. There will also be exemptions for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Existing specific EU product legislation will be harmonised with the ESPR, but will not be replaced. Companies should start preparing now, getting informed, reviewing their business models in the light of the new regulation, adapting them and extending them where necessary – for example through life-cycle assessments, repair and take-back options or concepts such as product-as-a-service. Products will only meet the requirements of the new EU regulation if they are developed in integrated processes involving all parts of the company – especially design and product development, supply chains and, ultimately, users.

The ESPR will make it illegal to destroy new textiles and shoes in the EU from 2025. | Illustration via DALL:E
Appliances in the EU have become more energy efficient since the introduction of the Ecodesign Directive. | Illustration via DALL:E

Further Information

Circular Design Clinic | German Design Council X INDEED Innovation

Optimise your product based on circular principles and in accordance with the EU Ecodesign Regulation. Learn from experts from Lufthansa Technik, Tchibo, Johnson & Johnson. Hands-on. At the first Circular Design Clinic on 27 November in Hamburg.

When: Wednesday, 27 November 2024, 9:00 – 18:00
Where: Indeed Innovation GmbH, Hamburg

Get Ticket

Circular Design Summit: Rethinking the Economy

The Circular Design Summit of the German Design Council – Rat für Formgebung brings together leading minds from business, industry and design who share a common vision: economic success in harmony with ecological sustainability. Find out how circular design – design for the circular economy – is driving the transformation of the economy and how you can become part of this development.

When: Tuesday, 11 March 2025, 9:30 am – 6:00 pm
Where: Hospitalhof, Stuttgart

Early Bird Ticket
Martina Metzner | Photo: Jason Sellers

About the Author

Martina Metzner is a design and architecture journalist with a focus on socio-ecological transformation. For her, good design and sustainability go hand in hand. After studying journalism, Italian philology and psychology, she worked in editorial departments for eleven years, first at TextilWirtschaft and then at Stylepark. Since 2018, she has been working as a freelancer for leading trade and consumer magazines and is head of the editorial team at the German Design Club.

Share on Social Media

ESPR Related Articles

More on ndion

More articles on circular economy and design.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email