Rules and requirements for energy labelling and ecodesign

Ecodesign requirements

The ecodesign requirements for individual product groups are created under the EU's Ecodesign Directive in a process coordinated by the European Commission.

The EU legislation on ecodesign is applicable on 31 of the product groups.

As an alternative, industry sectors may also sign voluntary agreements to reduce the energy consumption of their products. The Commission formally recognises such agreements and monitors their implementation.

The current Ecodesign Directive also establishes a consultation forum to consult stakeholders on the implementation of the directive. The list of members includes representatives from EU countries, industry and civil society. The group is open for observers from candidates and European Free Trade Association (EFTA) countries, and from organisations that have a legitimate interest in the discussion.

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New Ecodesign in 2023

On 30 March 2022, the Commission proposed a new Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation for more environmentally sustainable and circular products. It was published together with the Ecodesign and energy labelling working plan 2022-2024, which covers new energy-related products and updates and increases the ambition for products that are already regulated, as a transitionary measure until the new regulation enters into force.

The Regulation is repealing the Directive 2009/125/EC.

On 5 December 2023, the Council and the Parliament have reached a provisional political agreement on the proposed regulation. A vote of the Parliament and Council will follow.

The ecodesign regulation would be applicable to almost all categories of products (i.e. dishwashers, televisions, windows, car chargers, etc). It establishes a harmonised framework for setting of requirements for specific product groups to make them not only energy and resource-efficient (as it was the case in the existing 2009 directive) but also more durable, reliable, reusable, upgradable, reparable, recyclable and easier to maintain. The Commission will be able to propose new requirements by delegated acts when new kinds of products or technologies call for it.

Energy labelling framework

The energy labelling requirements for individual product groups are created under the EU's energy labelling framework regulation, in a process coordinated by the European Commission. 15 of the product groups require an energy label.
Companies can create their own labels for energy efficiency using a range of labelling tools.

Market surveillance

National market surveillance authorities verify whether products sold in the EU follow the requirements laid out in ecodesign and energy labelling regulations.
A Commission notice invites national market surveillance authorities to take into account the exceptional circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic for certain energy labelling and ecodesign requirements.

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Omnibus proposals

A number of ecodesign and energy labelling regulations adopted in 2019 were subsequently modified by “omnibus regulations”:

The ecodesign omnibus is Regulation (EU) 2021/341 amending Regulations (EU) 2019/424, (EU) 2019/1781, (EU) 2019/2019, (EU) 2019/2020, (EU) 2019/2021, (EU) 2019/2022, (EU) 2019/2023 and (EU) 2019/2024 with regard to ecodesign requirements for servers and data storage products, electric motors and variable speed drives, refrigerating appliances, light sources and separate control gears, electronic displays, household dishwashers, household washing machines and household washer-dryers and refrigerating appliances with a direct sales function;
The energy labelling omnibus is Regulation (EU) 2021/340 amending Delegated Regulations (EU) 2019/2013, (EU) 2019/2014, (EU) 2019/2015, (EU) 2019/2016, (EU) 2019/2017 and (EU) 2019/2018 with regard to energy labelling requirements for electronic displays, household washing machines and household washer-dryers, light sources, refrigerating appliances, household dishwashers, and refrigerating appliances with a direct sales function.

The regulation also aims at facilitating the movement of such products in the Single Market. A new "Digital Product Passport" will provide information about products' environmental sustainability. It will help consumers and businesses to make informed choices when purchasing products and help public authorities to better perform checks and controls. The proposal also establishes provisions regarding transparency and prevention of destruction of unsold consumer products.

2026 - New Commission's measures to to prevent the destruction of unsold apparel, clothing, accessories and footwear.

On 9 February 2026, the European Commission adopted new measures under the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) to curb the destruction of unsold apparel, clothing accessories and footwear—aiming to cut waste, reduce environmental harm, and create a fairer market for firms using circular business models.

The Commission estimates that 4–9% of unsold textiles in Europe are destroyed before being worn, generating about 5.6 million tonnes of CO₂ annually (roughly comparable to Sweden’s 2021 net emissions).

The package combines two obligations:
1. Transparency: companies must disclose information about unsold consumer products discarded as waste, and
2. A ban on destroying unsold apparel/accessories/footwear.

Two legal acts adopted on 9 February 2026 operationalise compliance:

A Delegated Act that clarifies derogations (limited, justified cases where destruction is still permitted—e.g., safety reasons or product damage), with national authorities overseeing compliance.

An Implementing Act that sets a standardised disclosure format for reporting volumes of discarded unsold goods, applicable from February 2027 to give businesses time to adapt. (See Annex)

Timeline: the ban + derogations apply to large companies from 19 July 2026, with medium-sized companies expected to follow in 2030; disclosure obligations already apply to large firms, and extend to medium-sized firms in 2030.

Policy intent: shift companies toward better stock/returns management and alternatives like resale, remanufacturing, donation, or reuse instead of discarding inventory.