Release time：2024-08-22
The EU's new Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) officially came into effect on July 18, 2024, replacing the Ecodesign Directive 2009/125/EC and establishing a framework for ecodesign for specific industries.
The ESPR is part of a package of measures at the heart of the Circular Economy Action Plan 2020, which will help the EU achieve its environmental and climate goals, double the circularity rate of material use and meet energy efficiency targets by 2030.
Key indicators of sustainable products
➤ Low energy use
➤ Long-term use
➤ Easy to repair
➤ Easy to disassemble and reuse
➤ Contains fewer substances of concern
➤ Can be easily recycled
➤ Contains a high content of recycled materials
➤ Has a low carbon and environmental footprint during its life cycle
Evolution of the legislative timeline
ecodesign requirements 生態設計要求
▪ 提高產品的耐用性、可重複使用性、可升級性和可修復性
▪ 使產品更加節能和資源高效
▪ 解決抑制循環性物質的存在
▪ 增加回收含量
▪ 使產品更容易再製造和回收
▪ 制定有關碳和環境足跡的規則
▪ 提高產品永續性資訊的可用性
The ESPR is framework legislation, meaning that specific product rules will be determined over time, either on a product-by-product basis or horizontally across groups of products with similar characteristics. For groups of products with sufficient common characteristics, the framework allows for horizontal guidelines to be set. The ESPR also includes a number of other new supporting measures:
★ Digital Product Passport (DPP) 數位產品護照
ESPR will launch the Digital Product Passport (DPP), a digital identity card for products, components and materials that will store information to support product sustainability, promote circularity and enhance legal compliance.
This information will be accessible electronically, making it easier for consumers, manufacturers and authorities to make more informed decisions about sustainability, circularity and regulatory compliance. It will allow customs authorities to automatically check the existence and authenticity of DPPs on imported products.
The information to be included in the DPP will be determined by the Commission in close consultation with all relevant stakeholders and will depend on the specific product concerned. This information may include:
● Technical product performance
● Materials and their origin
● Repair activities
● Recyclability
● Life cycle environmental impacts
★ Unsold product destruction mechanism
Many unsold products in the EU are simply destroyed, a practice that wastes valuable resources. ESPR proposes the first EU-wide measure to address this practice, banning the destruction of unsold textiles and footwear, and paving the way for similar bans in other sectors if evidence shows they are necessary. Large and medium-sized companies across all product sectors will be required to disclose annual information on their websites, including the number and weight of products discarded and the reasons for the disposal.
★ Green public procurement
EU public authorities spend approximately €1.8 trillion on projects, goods, and services. The ESPR will help direct this spending towards more sustainable development by establishing mandatory green public procurement standards for EU authorities purchasing products under its supervision. This will likely significantly increase demand for sustainable products, in turn incentivizing businesses to increase their investment in them.
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