The Commission has selected the first group of products that will soon have to meet higher sustainability standards, with manufacturers required to increase product durability and increase the use of recycled components, among other things.
Under the EU’s Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR), adopted in June 2024, the Commission must draw up a list – expected to grow over time – of products that must meet strict sustainability standards.
Its first list includes clothing, furniture, tyres, mattresses, steel, iron, aluminium, as well as electronics, from dishwashers and mobile phones to electric vehicle chargers – items which at the design stage highly impact climate change.
As early as mid-2028, companies that make these products will have to comply with new rules, ranging from increasing product durability to using recycled components to reducing water use or chemical content in manufacturing.
These products will also be subject to energy labelling rules, the new plan reveals.
