Shaping a circular future: Key elements for the Ecodesign Regulation for transforming product design

Position paper by Germanwatch, supported by Right to Repair Europe, Runder Tisch Reparatur and others

Design plays a crucial role in determining the circularity of a product, including factors such as repairability, recyclability, or potential for refurbishment and remanufacturing. The Ecodesign for Sustainable Product Regulation (ESPR) establishes a new framework for setting ecodesign requirements for products and is therefore crucial to enable a circular economy. At present, the EU Commission, the Council, and the European Parliament are negotiating the ESPR in the so-called trilogue. In the following, we compare the positions of these three institutions and highlight the essential elements that must be included in the final regulation to make it effective. The ESPR will be the basis for the development of product-specific delegated acts and will define both the scope and the requirements of these acts.