What Is ESPR?
The ESPR aims to significantly improve the environmental sustainability of products placed on the EU market by:
- Reducing carbon and ecological footprints across the entire life cycle – from raw material extraction to end-of-life disposal or recycling
- Improving energy and resource efficiency
- Promoting the free movement and competitiveness of sustainable products within the internal market
The ESPR replaces and expands the Energy-related Products Directive (ErP Directive 2009/12/EC), broadening its scope beyond energy-related products to include nearly all physical goods. Exemptions include food, animal feed, pharmaceuticals, and living organisms.
Its key features include:
Impact on Consumer Products
On April 14, 2025, the European Commission published a communication entitled, ‘Ecodesign for Sustainable Products and Energy Labelling Working Plan 2025-2030’. This document included a list of priority product groups under the ESPR:
In addition, the ESPR will also target intermediate products – aluminum, iron and steel – that are widely used in consumer goods supply chains.
It should be noted that, while the information and communication technology (ICT) and energy-related product sectors are not directly prioritized, they will still be impacted through the transition of current ecodesign rules into the ESPR framework, the changes impacting intermediate products, and the horizontal requirements being prioritized:
- Repairability scoring
- Requirements for recycled content and recyclability of electrical and electronic equipment
