Summary
What is the ESPR – and why does it matter?
The Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation is the EU’s flagship instrument to make sustainable products the norm. It replaces the older Ecodesign Directive and extends it beyond energy-related products to cover nearly all physical goods, including furniture, apparel, and home appliances.
Under ESPR, the EU can mandate that products:
- Are repairable, recyclable, and durable
- Include a Digital Product Passport (DPP)
- Disclose environmental and carbon footprints
- Contain recycled content
- Avoid the destruction of unsold goods
It’s not just policy – it’s the blueprint for what products can be sold in the EU over the next decade.
🔗 Learn more about how the ESPR works on the official page.
What’s in the 2025–2030 ESPR Working Plan?
The plan, adopted on April 16, 2025, outlines when and how different product categories will be affected. Here's what matters most:
📌 Prioritised Product Categories
According to the EU press release, the first wave of ecodesign requirements will cover:
- Textiles (especially clothing and fashion items)
- Furniture and mattresses
- Steel and aluminium
- Tyres
- Washing machines, TVs, dishwashers, and small electronics
These sectors were selected for their high environmental impact and circularity potential.
🛠 “Horizontal measures” like repairability scores and recyclability info will also apply to consumer electronics and household devices.
🧾 Digital Product Passport (DPP)
From 2026 onward, more and more products will require a digital product passport that includes:
- Sustainability and carbon footprint data
- Origin of materials
- Repair history
- Recycling instructions
The DPP will be mandatory for all products under ecodesign regulation and will follow standardised, machine-readable formats.
🗓️ Timeline Highlights
- 2026: New rules start for steel, displays, washing machines
- 2027–2029: Extended to textiles, furniture, mattresses
- 2028: Mid-term review
- 2030: End of current plan horizon – more categories to be added
How does this affect your industry?
🪑 Furniture & Interiors
Manufacturers must prepare for requirements on:
- Repairability (e.g. replaceable components, spare parts)
- Minimum recycled content
- Second-life strategies (reuse and refurbishment incentives)
- Material transparency (origin of wood, upholstery, coatings)
Check out how IKEA already operationalises second-life resale – this is where the industry is heading.
👕 Fashion & Textiles
Textile companies will need to:
- Integrate Digital Product Passports
- Avoid destroying unsold items (ban expected)
- Prepare for EPR-style obligations tied to collection and reuse
- Design for durability and recyclability
🔌 Electronics & Appliances
From TVs to toasters, producers will face:
- Repairability scores
- Mandatory recyclability disclosures
- Spare parts availability and disassembly rules
- Stricter rules for imported products via customs checks on DPP compliance
You can also check out the full explanation of the ElektroG in Germany here.
Key quotes from the Commission
“This initiative marks a major step toward making the circular economy a reality... and accelerating the decarbonisation of key value chains.”
– Jessika Roswall, Commissioner for Environment Commission rolls out pl…
“It will deliver significant benefits for all Europeans, create opportunities for businesses and employment, and protect the planet.”
– Stéphane Séjourné, Executive Vice President for Industrial Strategy Commission rolls out pl…
What comes next?
The Commission plans to:
- Finalise the DPP standard format in collaboration with industry and regulators
- Begin delegated acts to enforce rules for each product group
- Strengthen market surveillance, especially for e-commerce and non-EU imports
- Conduct studies on additional sectors like chemicals, shoes, and construction materials
So what should you do?
Start now. The ESPR working plan is not a distant goal – it’s the beginning of a massive shift in product strategy, data, logistics, and customer communication.
With platforms like koorvi, you can already start building:
- Take-back systems that return value from old products
- Tracking infrastructure for DPP compliance
- Partnerships for refurbishment and second-life resale
- Transparent product information workflows
👉 Want help preparing for ESPR? Let’s talk.
FAQs
What is the ESPR and why is it the EU's most important sustainability regulation?
The Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) replaces the old Ecodesign Directive and extends requirements to nearly all physical goods like furniture, apparel, and appliances. It mandates repairability, recyclability, durability, Digital Product Passports (DPP), carbon footprint disclosure, recycled content, and bans destroying unsold goods. ESPR isn't just policy – it's the blueprint defining what products can be sold in the EU over the next decade, transforming product design and lifecycle management.
Which product categories are prioritized in the ESPR 2025-2030 Working Plan?
The April 2025 plan targets textiles (clothing/fashion), furniture/mattresses, steel/aluminium, tyres, washing machines, TVs, dishwashers, and small electronics first due to high environmental impact. Horizontal measures like repairability scores apply to consumer electronics. Timeline starts 2026 with steel/displays/washing machines, expanding to textiles/furniture 2027-2029. Mid-term review in 2028 sets stage for more categories through 2030.
What is the Digital Product Passport (DPP) and when does it become mandatory?
From 2026, DPP provides machine-readable data on sustainability, carbon footprint, material origins, repair history, and recycling instructions for ecodesign-regulated products. Standardized format enables lifecycle tracking, customs compliance, and circularity verification. Mandatory for textiles, furniture, electronics under ESPR – essential infrastructure for resale, repair services, and proving regulatory compliance across EU markets.
How does ESPR specifically impact furniture, fashion, and electronics manufacturers?
Furniture needs repairable designs, recycled content, second-life strategies like IKEA's resale model. Fashion faces DPP integration, unsold destruction bans, EPR-linked collection obligations, durability requirements. Electronics require repair scores, spare parts availability, disassembly rules, DPP customs checks. All sectors need transparent material tracking and lifecycle data workflows to remain compliant and competitive.
What should companies do now to prepare for ESPR compliance?
Start building take-back systems, DPP tracking infrastructure, refurbishment partnerships, and transparent product information workflows immediately. Platforms like koorvi automate compliance documentation, return management, and second-life resale. ESPR working plan launches 2026 – early movers gain competitive advantage through customer loyalty, regulatory leadership, and new revenue from circular channels.
