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# ESPR

> The Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation, Regulation (EU) 2024/1781, the framework law that introduces ecodesign requirements and the Digital Product Passport in the European Union.

## Definition

Regulation (EU) 2024/1781, the European Union framework regulation that sets out how ecodesign
requirements, including the Digital Product Passport, may be imposed on products placed on the EU
market. It entered into force in July 2024 and applies through subsequent delegated acts.

## Expanded Explanation

Replaces and widens the earlier Ecodesign Directive 2009/125/EC, which covered energy related
products only. The regulation extends the ecodesign approach to almost all physical goods and adds
the legal basis for the Digital Product Passport.

The regulation is deliberately structured in two levels. The framework level defines the vocabulary,
the categories of requirement that may be imposed, the passport concept, market surveillance
expectations and the rules on destruction of unsold consumer goods. The second level, made up of
delegated acts, states what actually applies to a specific product group, from what date and with
what data.

The European Commission published a working plan for 2025 to 2030 identifying the first priority
product groups, which include textiles and apparel, furniture, iron and steel, aluminium and tyres,
alongside horizontal measures such as repairability and recycled content.

## Why It Matters

Planning errors usually come from misreading the regulation's structure. Because the framework is in
force, some organisations conclude that passport obligations already apply to them; others conclude
that nothing applies until their delegated act is adopted and therefore do nothing. Both positions
are wrong in practice. The framework fixes the shape of the future obligation, so identifier
strategy, supplier data collection and retention can be built now, while the delegated act fixes the
exact data fields and dates later.

## Common Misconceptions

#### ESPR is a directive

It is a regulation, so it applies directly in all Member States without national transposition.
The instrument it replaces, Directive 2009/125/EC, was a directive, which is a common source of
confusion in older guidance.

It is also not limited to European companies. Any organisation that places a covered product on the
EU market is in scope, regardless of where it manufactures.

## Related Terms

* [Delegated Act](/docs/knowledge-base/glossary/delegated-act)
* [Digital Product Passport](/docs/knowledge-base/glossary/digital-product-passport)
* [Economic Operator](/docs/knowledge-base/glossary/economic-operator)
* [Conformity Assessment](/docs/knowledge-base/glossary/conformity-assessment)
* [Market Surveillance](/docs/knowledge-base/glossary/market-surveillance)

## Related Knowledge Base Articles

* [What Is a Digital Product Passport?](/docs/knowledge-base/digital-product-passports/what-is-a-digital-product-passport)
* [Who Needs a Digital Product Passport?](/docs/knowledge-base/digital-product-passports/who-needs-a-digital-product-passport)

## Related Articles

* [Delegated Act](/docs/knowledge-base/glossary/delegated-act)
* [Authorised Representative](/docs/knowledge-base/glossary/authorised-representative)
* [Conformity Assessment](/docs/knowledge-base/glossary/conformity-assessment)
* [Corrective Action](/docs/knowledge-base/glossary/corrective-action)
* [Digital Product Passport](/docs/knowledge-base/glossary/digital-product-passport)
* [Economic Operator](/docs/knowledge-base/glossary/economic-operator)
* [EU Declaration of Conformity](/docs/knowledge-base/glossary/eu-declaration-of-conformity)
* [Harmonised Standard](/docs/knowledge-base/glossary/harmonised-standard)

## See Also

* [Regulations](/docs/knowledge-base/regulations/overview)
* [Governance & Assurance](/docs/knowledge-base/compliance-frameworks/overview)

## References

* Regulation (EU) 2024/1781, Official Journal of the European Union:
  [https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2024/1781/oj](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2024/1781/oj)
* European Commission, ESPR working plan 2025 to 2030:
  [https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A52025DC0187](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A52025DC0187)
* European Commission, Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation policy pages:
  [https://commission.europa.eu/energy-climate-change-environment/standards-tools-and-labels/products-labelling-rules-and-requirements/ecodesign-sustainable-products-regulation\_en](https://commission.europa.eu/energy-climate-change-environment/standards-tools-and-labels/products-labelling-rules-and-requirements/ecodesign-sustainable-products-regulation_en)

## About This Article

About This Article

<dl>
  <dt>
    Last Reviewed
  </dt>

  <dd>
    2026-08-07
  </dd>

  <dt>
    Next Scheduled Review
  </dt>

  <dd>
    2027-08-07
  </dd>

  <dt>
    Article Version
  </dt>

  <dd>
    1.0
  </dd>
</dl>

tieback Knowledge is a continuously maintained reference library covering Digital Product
Passports, product traceability, product compliance and related regulations. Articles are
reviewed regularly as legislation, standards and implementation guidance evolve.

## Related Docs

* [Regulations](/docs/knowledge-base/regulations/overview)
* [Digital Product Passports](/docs/knowledge-base/digital-product-passports/overview)
* [Governance & Assurance](/docs/knowledge-base/compliance-frameworks/overview)
* [Glossary](/docs/knowledge-base/glossary/overview)