Home → Blog → Resources → EU Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation – Polygiene
While sustainability was once a niche concern and interest restricted to a small number of progressive brands, this is no longer the case. Equipped with a deeper understanding of how humans are harming the planet, more and more organizations are sitting up and taking notice. This includes supra-national organisations like the European Union (EU).
The EU has played a pivotal role in shifting the sustainability emphasis from voluntary initiatives to regulatory requirements. The EU Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) is the latest step in this process. A landmark framework that aims to reshape the way products are designed, manufactured, and recycled or disposed of, it aims to embed sustainability in every aspect of the product lifecycle.
In this article, we explain what the EU Ecodesign for Sustainable Products regulation is, explore what it means for brands, and detail how businesses can prepare for the upcoming regulatory changes. We’ll also discuss the ways Polygiene technology can help your products comply with the new regulations.
Introduced in 2024, the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) is part of the European Green Deal and a cornerstone of the bloc’s sustainability agenda. It introduces product-specific performance requirements for products on the European market. At the same time, it requires brands to create and maintain Digital Product Passports (DPPs) for greater supply chain transparency.
The framework’s main aims include:
Under the ESPR, the European Commission may set two main types of requirements:
While the initial framework was rolled out in 2024, requirements are being shaped and implemented on a staggered basis, sector by sector. In this article, we’ll primarily focus on the textile sector and how the EU ESPR will affect textile-based products.
Currently, we expect to see a ban on the destruction of unsold goods enter into force in Q2 2026 for large enterprises and in 2030 for SMEs. Minimum textile product requirements and implementation of the DPP are expected in 2027 or 2028.
The EU remains one of the largest consumer markets in the world and has considerable power to shape global regulations. Large organizations operating on an international scale will need to ensure their products comply with the new requirements, so the EU’s sustainability frameworks will likely have a worldwide impact. At the same time, the EU is a regulatory forerunner, and there’s a significant chance that any regulations it implements now will gradually be adopted by nations outside the bloc.
With this in mind, we can explain the EU ESPR’s importance in three main ways.
The EU has announced that it will be climate neutral by 2050. While many experts believe this target is overly ambitious, it has placed pressure on the bloc to move quickly and introduce far-reaching legislative changes with minimal delay. Waste and product disposal contribute significantly to emissions, and the only way to prevent this is by embedding sustainability principles into the product design process and every other aspect of the product lifecycle. The EU Product Design and Sustainability regulation goes a long way to achieving this.
Currently, environmental performance for products in the EU is largely restricted to information made in marketing claims. It’s far too easy for businesses to overstate a product’s sustainability credentials and effectively greenwash their business by manipulating data. The ESPR places a much greater emphasis on measurable compliance by requiring verifiable sustainability data.
Consumers cannot make informed purchasing decisions without transparency. By mandating stronger traceability and transparency, the EU Ecodesign regulation ensures individuals have access to accurate information regarding environmental performance.
The European Commission is currently debating and determining the parameters that will be used to measure textile performance. However, early indicators suggest the following performance indicators will play a role.
Durability refers to the length of time a consumer can expect to use a product before product failure. This includes failure due to wear, stress, and aging. We do not currently know whether the EU will implement minimum durability performance requirements for textile products or if the Commission will favor information requirements.
Reusability and repairability refer to the extent to which a product is designed to be easily repaired or reused. This should help the EU encourage products that are designed with easily replaceable components or a repair-friendly construction.
Describes the percentage of recycled fibers used in a product’s construction. Currently, the Commission is assessing how best to measure and report recycled content and whether implementing minimum requirements is feasible.
In an attempt to minimize the amount of products being disposed of at the end of their lifecycle, the European Commission is also exploring ways to measure how easily a product can be recycled once it is disposed of. In textiles, this is largely determined by the mix of fibers present, how uniform the material is, and how easily the product can be disassembled.
Substances of concern include chemicals that limit or prevent a product’s reuse or recycling. The EU will likely push for improved disclosure of such substances and may also introduce restrictions on some substances that negatively impact salvage.
Finally, the Commission is also likely to introduce information requirements detailing the environmental impact of a product’s manufacturing process. It’s now relatively easy to measure a product’s carbon footprint, and it would prove a useful reference for consumers. Existing carbon measuring methodologies are already in use and could form the basis on which the EU builds its mechanisms.
While many try to position tighter regulatory requirements as a challenge for businesses, they can also be viewed as a strategic opportunity. Those organizations that can take advantage of the new regulations will benefit in various ways.
Today, the lack of transparency surrounding sustainability and the prevalence of greenwashing mean consumers are less willing to trust sustainability claims. By improving transparency and traceability, EU Ecodesign for Sustainable Products will give greater credence to businesses that take positive steps towards improving their environmental performance. It will enable consumers to make informed decisions and trust that the information they base their choices on is legitimate.
Waste and operational inefficiencies represent significant cost expenditures for businesses. By legislating against them, the EU will force organizations to design with product durability and circular manufacturing processes in mind, minimizing or eliminating these expenditures and driving cost savings.
Those businesses that move quickly to comply with regulations may benefit from a competitive advantage. By distinguishing themselves from those businesses that delay compliance, early adopters can attract new customers and broaden their appeal, establishing themselves as legitimate environmental innovators.
Though ESPR’s finer details are still being worked out by the European Commission, businesses should begin preparing immediately. The relatively tight transition window means businesses that act now are less likely to fall foul of regulatory requirements and more likely to achieve a competitive advantage. A longer preparation phase also tends to result in a more considered and strategic approach, and a smoother transition.
Initially, brands should focus on baselining current environmental performance and identifying areas for improvement. They can then move on to improving design, optimizing manufacturing, and ensuring supply chain transparency.
Brands must understand their products’ environmental footprints and how every aspect of design, manufacturing, use, and disposal affects them. Lifecycle Assessments (LCAs) are one of the most effective ways of achieving this. LCAs identify hotspots, such as high-emission materials, excessive water usage, or energy-intensive manufacturing processes, enabling businesses to make targeted improvements for maximal impact.
By the time the regulation comes into full force, brands will need to have made significant improvements to product design. The nature of ESPR – particularly its focus on embedding sustainability into every aspect of the product lifecycle – means businesses can’t afford to ignore design and focus exclusively on emissions reductions.
While the way you improve circularity in design will vary from product to product, businesses can begin by considering the following:
Improving supply chain transparency and traceability will also put businesses in good standing for the approaching regulatory changes. The challenges associated with achieving this will vary considerably depending on supply chain complexity. Those organizations with particularly complex supply chains should begin as soon as possible, as there is more data to collect and they’re also dependent on supply chain partners being able to provide it.
Mapping the supply chain in detail means including the following information:
It is highly likely that additional data and documentation will be required. However, these initial steps allow brands to prepare the fundamentals early.
The Digital Product Passport will be a central pillar of the EU Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation. The DPP is a digital record that stores structured, accessible sustainability data about a product throughout its lifecycle.
The DPP takes the focus away from inherently limited physical product labels and allows for richer, more comprehensive product information. This information is valuable to a wide range of stakeholders, including consumers, regulators, repairers, recyclers, and retailers. The data will be available via digital interfaces, such as QR codes, RFIDs, or other data carriers.
The precise DPP information requirements will vary between product categories. However, we anticipate textile products will likely contain some or all of the following information:
For textile brands in particular, additive technologies will play a meaningful role in achieving sustainability objectives and complying with ESPR requirements. This is where Polygiene textile technologies align closely with EU product sustainability goals.
Our additive textile technologies are designed to improve product performance by providing effective odor control. While this benefits the consumer by enhancing comfort and self-confidence, it also enables garments to be washed less frequently. This has a considerable impact on environmental performance.
By ensuring textiles need washing less frequently, Polygiene Freshness technologies reduce energy, water, and detergent use. At the same time, they extend product lifespan by reducing exposure to the premature wear, tear, and damage caused by machine washers. This enhanced product durability and longevity support the aims of the ESPR and help businesses meet their regulatory obligations.
At Polygiene, we’ve conducted LCAs to test the sustainability benefits of Polygiene treatments. In an independently verified test, Polygiene® StayFresh was shown to reduce a T-shirt’s overall environmental impact by ⅓. For businesses looking to prepare for the EU product sustainability regulation, this level of environmental performance improvement is extremely valuable.
Both of our principal odor control technologies – Polygiene® StayFresh and Polygiene® OdorCrunch2.0 – are designed to protect against odors, enabling users to wear items more and wash them less. The technologies are integrated into manufacturing processes with minimal disruption and are entirely skin-safe. They are accredited by bluesign® and Oeko-Tex® and compliant with the EU’s REACH legislation.
If you want to learn more about Polygiene’s odor control solutions and how they can help your business meet the incoming EU product sustainability requirements, we recommend getting in touch with our experienced team today.
Alternatively, take a look at our Polygiene® StayFresh and Polygiene® OdorCrunch2.0 solution pages for more information on how our groundbreaking textile technologies work.
