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# Module 5: When It Becomes Mandatory, and Why the Detail Is Missing

> Academy Foundations Module 5: the ESPR framework and delegated act split, how a delegated act becomes binding, reading working plan timing correctly, and what to do before the field list exists.

## Overview

Most confusion about "when does this become mandatory" is not a lack of information. It is a failure
to separate three different documents and three different kinds of "real": the framework regulation,
the working plan, and the delegated act. Each answers a different question, and collapsing them into
one sentence is how wrong deadlines end up in steering committee decks.

This module takes that apart piece by piece: how ESPR splits into a framework and per-product
delegated acts, how a delegated act travels from draft to binding law, why being in force is not the
same as applying to your product, and what work is actually safe to do while the detail for your
product group is still unwritten.

**Estimated completion time: 45 minutes.** Four lessons of 9, 9, 9 and 8 minutes, plus a ten question
assessment of about 10 minutes.

## Learning Objectives

#### Module learning objectives

Every objective is tested. Each assessment question is tagged to one of the five.

## Lesson Sequence

Then take the [module assessment](/docs/academy/foundations/module-5/assessment).

## Canonical Reading

This module teaches from three canonical articles. Each is the authoritative text and remains free
and open to everyone:

* [What is the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR)?](/docs/knowledge-base/regulations/what-is-the-ecodesign-for-sustainable-products-regulation-espr)
* [What Are Delegated Acts?](/docs/knowledge-base/regulations/what-are-delegated-acts)
* [When Will Digital Product Passports Become Mandatory?](/docs/knowledge-base/regulations/when-will-digital-product-passports-become-mandatory)

The lessons add sequence, framing, examples and practice. They do not restate the regulatory content,
and they never introduce a date, article number or citation that is not in the source articles.

## Frameworks Used

**TBF-005, The ESPR Implementation Journey.** Introduced in Lesson 1. Shows ESPR moving from a
framework regulation, through delegated acts per product group, to obligations that bite on a named
product on a named date.

**TBF-006, The EU Product Regulation Lifecycle.** Applied in Lesson 2. Traces the path a delegated act
travels from Commission draft, through scrutiny, to entry into force and date of application.

**TBF-008, The Digital Product Passport Compliance Timeline.** Applied in Lesson 3. Separates
confirmed legal dates from indicative ones across three parallel lanes.

Full descriptions in the [framework registry](/docs/knowledge-base/frameworks/overview).

## The Running Case Product

Every Foundations module uses one product so the examples accumulate rather than reset.

**The Aurelia S2 cordless hedge trimmer.** A mid-price consumer power tool with a removable
lithium-ion battery pack, a moulded polymer housing, and a woven textile shoulder strap. It is
manufactured under contract in Vietnam, imported into the EU by the brand owner's Dutch entity, and
sold through both retail and direct channels. Its three components sit at different points on the
same regulatory timeline, which is exactly why it is useful here.

## Completion

The module is complete when all four lessons are marked complete and the assessment is passed at the
Foundations pass mark of 80 percent. Retakes are unlimited and your best score is kept. Progress is
saved on this device.

## Next Step

After the assessment, [Module 6: Capstone, Preparing Your Organisation](/docs/academy/foundations/module-6)
draws the whole path together into a single readiness exercise for your own product portfolio.

## Related Docs

* [Lesson 1: Framework Plus Delegated Act](/docs/academy/foundations/module-5/lesson-1)
* [Module 5 assessment](/docs/academy/foundations/module-5/assessment)
* [Module 6: Capstone, Preparing Your Organisation](/docs/academy/foundations/module-6)
* [DPP Foundations](/docs/academy/foundations)
* [tieback Frameworks](/docs/knowledge-base/frameworks/overview)