ESPR and the Digital Product Passport
The Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation is the EU framework under which Digital Product Passports are being introduced for many physical goods. It is not a finished list of fields and dates for every product.
Written by SOURCE Research. Published 18 August 2026. Last reviewed 18 August 2026. Not legal advice.
What is ESPR?
Regulation (EU) 2024/1781 is a framework regulation for setting ecodesign requirements for sustainable products. It has applied since 18 July 2024. It replaces and enlarges the previous ecodesign directive. Digital Product Passport rules for a given product group are specified in later measures, typically delegated acts, not as one universal obligation in the ESPR text.
Framework versus product obligations
| Layer | What it does | What it does not do |
|---|---|---|
| ESPR (2024/1781) | Creates the legal basis for ecodesign requirements and the DPP concept. | Does not, by itself, tell you the DPP field list or the compliance date for a chair or a t-shirt. |
| Delegated acts / product measures | Can set requirements, information and DPP rules for a product group. | Are not all adopted. Do not invent a date because a working plan mentions a sector. |
| Batteries regulation (2023/1542) | Contains battery-passport rules in a separate instrument. | Is not a substitute for reading ESPR product-group acts for other goods. |
Primary sources
- Regulation (EU) 2024/1781 (ESPR) — Official Journal of the European Union, 2024-06-28. Framework regulation. Applied since 18 July 2024. Product-specific DPP obligations are not listed as a single universal deadline in this act.
- EUR-Lex summary: Ecodesign requirements for sustainable products — EUR-Lex, 2024. Commission-facing summary of ESPR, including the Digital Product Passport concept.
- Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 (Batteries) — Official Journal of the European Union, 2023-07-28. Battery passport obligations sit in this regulation, not only in ESPR.