Ecodesign that sells: ESPR-ready products
Ecodesign used to be a back‑of‑the‑lab exercise. With the EU’s Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation now in force, it becomes a commercial system for how products are designed, documented, and bought. If a product can’t prove durability, circularity, and low impact with clean data, it risks being sidelined in specs and tenders.
ESPR in one page, no jargon
The EU’s Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) entered into force on July 18, 2024. It replaces the older ecodesign directive and unlocks a bigger toolbox: durability, repairability, recycled content, chemicals of concern, and the Digital Product Passport. Sector rules will arrive as delegated acts that name specific product groups and the data each must show.
Why this matters beyond the EU. Global buyers increasingly align to EU rules to simplify sourcing. If a portfolio is ESPR-ready, it tends to be documentation-ready for customer audits, green public procurement, and building rating systems that already reward product-specific EPDs.
The money signal behind ecodesign
Ecodesign rules have already saved EU consumers about €120 billion and cut the covered products’ energy use roughly 10% each year they operate (Consilium, 2024) (Consilium, 2024). Updated standby rules alone are projected to trim electricity by about 32.5 TWh per year by 2030, with around €7 billion in user savings and 4.6 Mt CO₂ avoided (European Commission, 2024) (European Commission, 2024). Fresh rules for industrial fans add another 8 TWh annual savings by 2030 and an estimated €4 billion cut in bills for businesses (DG Energy, 2024) (DG Energy, 2024).
If policy consistently pulls cost out of operations, clients start asking for the proof. That proof is product data they can trust.
What ESPR will likely target in construction materials
The Commission’s analysis for the first ESPR working plan highlights steel, aluminium, glass, plastics and polymers, pulp and paper, and paints and varnishes among the priority families. Furniture also appears, which matters for fit‑out. These are familiar categories for EN 15804 EPDs, so momentum here directly overlaps with the datasets you already manage for LCAs.
Expect rules that set minimum performance and information requirements. Expect the need to expose data in a machine‑readable way so customers can filter product lists by durability, recycled content, repair information, and potentially carbon footprint across life cycle stages.
Digital Product Passport, decoded for manufacturers
The Digital Product Passport (DPP) is a shared data card carried by each product instance. The Commission opened a public consultation in 2025 on how DPP data should be stored and certified, which signals that implementation details are moving fast.
Design the model now. Treat DPP fields like another bill of materials. Create authoritative sources for composition, recycled content, repair instructions, replaceable subcomponents, chemicals of concern, and unique identifiers. Keep versions synced to the EPD reference year so nothing drifts.
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Ecodesign principles that move EPD results
Ecodesign is not a slogan. It is a set of engineering levers that show up in A1 to C4.
- Material efficiency. Reduce mass per functional unit, and eliminate needless alloys or fillers that spike impacts.
- Recycled content with provenance. Prioritize post‑consumer scrap with traceable certificates so the claim survives verification.
- Energy intensity at the line. Meter per process, not per plant. Sub‑metering is boring and priceless for A1‑A3 credibility.
- Transport that reflects reality. Log actual routes and modes, not default tables. Small route changes can swing A4.
- Design for repair and reuse. Publish fasteners, service parts, and disassembly steps. This helps DPP and extends B‑stage life.
- Safer chemistry. Pre‑screen formulations so future delegated acts do not force reformulation on a tight clock.
From ecodesign workbench to EPD page
Every ecodesign choice produces data. Capture it once and make it feed the LCA model and the EPD draft automatically. When suppliers share their own product‑specific EPDs, store them with version dates and validity so the next renewal is an update, not a reinvention.
Align the next EPD reference year with your planned process changes. If a new low‑carbon feedstock starts in Q3, pick a reference year that captures enough months to be statistically solid. Prospective EPDs are possible for new products, but they still need disciplined rework after a full year of production.
ESPR will reward documentation discipline
ESPR bans the destruction of certain unsold consumer goods and demands clearer repair and durability information. Those same threads make products easier to compare, and easier to specify. When a rival publishes machine‑readable durability and recycled content while another vendor cannot show it, the tender math starts before price.
We should also say the quiet part. Sales teams avoid markets where documentation slows deals. If ESPR forces cleaner product data, the ready manufacturers unlock demand they previously didn’t even see.
Picking an LCA and EPD partner for an ESPR world
Look for a team that does the heavy data lift inside your business, not one that emails templates and waits. Ask how they map ERP, MES, and utility data into auditable inventories. Verify how they track supplier EPDs, evidence files, and transport corridors so an auditor can trace every figure without firefighting.
Insist on a single source of truth. EPD models, DPP attributes, and change logs should live together so you avoid conflicting numbers across documents. Fast projects happen when thier data model is boring, reliable, and maintained.
A 90‑day play you can start this quarter
Week 1 to 3. Lock EPD scope, reference year, and product families aligned to the likely ESPR categories you sell into. Identify data owners for energy, materials, and transport.
Week 4 to 8. Sub‑meter the critical processes. Collect supplier certificates and any product‑specific EPDs they have. Build the preliminary DPP field map so you do not re‑enter information later.
Week 9 to 12. Run the LCA, validate with engineering, and draft the EPD. Prepare a buyer‑readable summary that calls out durability, repair options, recycled content, and transport emissions. Make sure those same fields are ready for a DPP pilot.
Tie it together without the drama
ESPR sets the direction and DPP carries the proof. Ecodesign choices become LCA inputs, and strong LCAs become EPDs that win specification decisions. Build the data spine now so future delegated acts feel like small updates, not a reinvention every time a rule changes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does ESPR require me to publish an EPD for my product?
No. ESPR sets ecodesign performance and information requirements per product group through delegated acts and introduces the Digital Product Passport. EPDs are not mandated by ESPR, yet the datasets you need for ESPR map closely to EN 15804 LCAs, so maintaining them together reduces work.
Which construction product families are likely to be early ESPR priorities?
The Commission’s analysis for the first ESPR working plan highlights iron and steel, aluminium, glass, plastics and polymers, pulp and paper, and paints and varnishes, plus furniture. Final picks land in delegated acts, so monitor them closely.
How does ecodesign improve my next EPD result?
Material efficiency reduces A1‑A3 per functional unit, low‑carbon inputs and renewable electricity shrink A1‑A3, accurate logistics data sharpens A4, and repairability paired with durable design improves B‑stage narratives and circularity claims.
What is the earliest practical step to get ESPR‑ready?
Start sub‑metering priority lines and formalize a supplier data pack that requests composition, recycled content, and any product‑specific EPDs. Those two moves de‑risk both EPD verification and future DPP fields.
About the Author
Eric works at the intersection of sustainability, regulation, and business strategy, helping manufacturers navigate the evolving landscape of EPDs and LCAs. Having spoken with hundreds of teams across North America, brings a deep understanding of what drives ROI, what regulators are asking for, and how companies can stay ahead with smart, scalable approaches to environmental reporting.
