What is the ESPR?

The Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) is a proposal by the European Commission to improve the environmental sustainability and circularity of products placed on the EU market. It aims to reduce the environmental impacts of products throughout their life cycle, from design to end-of-life, and to promote resource efficiency, innovation, and competitiveness.

The ESPR will replace the existing Ecodesign Directive, which only covers energy-related products, and will extend the scope to almost all categories of physical goods. The ESPR will also introduce a new Digital Product Passport, which will provide information about products’ environmental sustainability attributes, such as durability, reparability, recycled content, and carbon footprint.

The ESPR is expected to bring significant benefits to businesses, consumers, and the environment by 2030, such as saving 132 million tonnes of oil equivalent in primary energy, reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 260 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent, and creating 200,000 new jobs.

Will this affect solar thermal?

According to the proposal for the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR), the regulation will apply to almost all categories of physical goods placed on the EU market, with some exceptions such as food and feed. Solar thermal heating systems are considered energy-related products, which are currently covered by the existing Ecodesign Directive2. Therefore, it is likely that the ESPR will also apply to solar thermal heating systems, unless they are explicitly excluded by the regulation. However, the specific ecodesign requirements for each product group will be determined by implementing acts adopted by the Commission, following a consultation process with stakeholders and experts1. Therefore, the exact scope and criteria for solar thermal heating systems will depend on the outcome of this process.

More information

For more information about the ESPR, you can visit the official website of the European Commission or read some of the proposed online resources.

Ecodesign for sustainable products (europa.eu)

Proposal for Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (europa.eu)

Briefing from the European Parliament