On 18 July 2024, Ecodesign for Sustainable Products (ESPR) came into force. This is part of EU’s approach to more environmentally sustainable and circular products. The ESPR aims to significantly improve the circularity, energy performance and other environmental sustainability aspects of products placed in the EU market. 

ESPR establishes a framework for “ecodesign requirements” on specific products groups to: 

• Improve product durability, reusability, upgradability and reparability 

• Make products more energy and resource-efficient 

• Address the presence of substances that inhibit circularity 

• Increase recycled content 

• Make products easier to remanufacture and recycle 

• Set rules on carbon and environmental footprints 

• Improve the availability of information on product sustainability 

Additional measures for ESPR: 

1. Digital Product Passport (DPP)- A digital identity card for products that will store relevant information to support products’ sustainability, circularity and strengthen legal compliance. 

1. Rules to address destruction of unsold products- This will require large and eventually medium sized companies across all product sector to disclose annual information on their website, such as the number and weight of products they discard, as well as their reasons for doing so. 

1. Green Public Procurement- The ESPR will help steer EU funds in a more sustainable direction, by enabling Green Public Procurement criteria to be set for EU authorities who purchase products that it will regulate. 

Priority products are iron & steel, aluminium, textiles (garments and footwear), furniture (including mattresses), tyres, detergents, paints, lubricants, chemicals, and ICT products. 

The Export Marketing Bureau strongly advises Philippine exporters to comply with the new EU Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) to ensure the continued acceptance of your products to the EU.   For reference, please see attached link (EcodesignforSustainableProductsRegulation)   

For further questions and clarifications, you may contact EMB Market and Product Officers at mid@dti.gov.ph and famd@dti.gov.ph respectively.