Understanding the New Ecodesign Framework

What is Changing and Why?

The new Regulation (EU) 2024/1781 on Ecodesign for Sustainable Products marks a major shift in EU product policy. Unlike the previous Directive 2009/125/EC, which focused primarily on energy-related products and their energy performance during use, the new regulation applies to almost all physical products (except food, pharmaceuticals, and vehicles) and covers the entire product lifecycle.

Why Was the Change Necessary?

The European Green Deal and the Circular Economy Action Plan called for product policies that ensure sustainability across all stages of the product lifecycle. The old directive was no longer sufficient. The new regulation promotes:
– Transparency and traceability
– Extended producer responsibility
– Circularity, durability, and reparability
– Reduction of environmental impact

What Does the New Regulation Introduce?

Regulation 2024/1781 introduces mandatory ecodesign requirements for product categories to be selected gradually. It also includes the groundbreaking introduction of the Digital Product Passport, which will contain essential information on product sustainability, origin, and reparability.

Visual Summary

The following infographic compares the old and new framework.

Infographic comparing the old EU Ecodesign Directive (2009/125/EC) with the new Regulation (EU) 2024/1781.It consists of three columns: 1. Old Framework – Directive 2009/125/EC o Applied only to energy-related products o Focused on energy performance during use o Did not fully address lifecycle sustainability 2. Why Change Was Needed o Driven by the European Green Deal and Circular Economy Action Plan o Calls for sustainability across the entire lifecycle o Emphasizes traceability, transparency, and design responsibility o Aims to eliminate planned obsolescence and waste of unsold products 3. What Changes with Regulation (EU) 2024/1781 o Applies to all physical products (except food, pharmaceuticals, vehicles) o Covers the full lifecycle from design to recovery o Introduces binding ecodesign requirements and the Digital Product Passport

Sofia Plakantonaki / VERDEinMED – Shared under CC BY 4.0

Watch the Official Video

The Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation Explained. You can watch a video about this regulation.

Source

European Commission. (2024). Regulation (EU) 2024/1781 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 June 2024 establishing a framework for the setting of ecodesign requirements for sustainable products and repealing Directive 2009/125/EC.

Sofia Plakantonaki / VERDEinMED