GS1 welcomes the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR), entered into force on 18 July, as a key pillar of the EU Circular Economy agenda and of the Green Deal, setting the EU objective of becoming the first climate-neutral region by 2050.
Among several ambitious goals and new requirements, the ESPR introduces the Digital Product Passport for products, components and intermediates products being placed on the EU market or put into service and it includes products manufactured in Europe or exported into the EU, having impacts also on global trade.
GS1 standards for identification, automatic identification and data capture (AIDC), and data sharing support ESPR requirements of the European Union and other jurisdictions as well. To increase understanding of GS1 standards conformant systems, GS1 is providing a White Paper explaining the different aspects of how GS1 standards, widely implemented today or planned for implementation by 2027, can support the evolving circular economy with little to no disruption to industry.
The original version of the GS1 in Europe White Paper which focused on Web-Enabled, Structured Path Product Identification and AIDC Carriers has now been expanded to begin the discussion of Economic Operator ID (EOID), Facility ID (FID) and GS1 Data Sharing standards.
Please find the current version here.
GS1 has also a global, open-to-all working group set up to support industry’s identification and data sharing needs related to Circularity/DPP. If you want to join the Mission Specific Working Group on Circularity/DPP, please follow this link
More on the ESPR and the DPP
In this new ecodesign framework, built on expanding the older Ecodesign Directive, great attention is also given to providing better information to consumers and enabling their greener choices.
Here is the full list of the prioritised product categories present in ESPR Article 18.5: iron and steel; aluminium; textiles, in particular garments and footwear; furniture, including mattresses; tyres; detergents; paints; lubricants; chemicals; some energy related products; information and communication technology products and other electronics.
Only a few sectors – such as food, feed and medicinal products – are exempted (see full list in Article 1.2). In addition, the regulation prohibits the destruction of unsold consumer products, and it sets mandatory green public procurement criteria, within the values and principles advocated by the circular economy.
The overall aim of the proposal is to reduce the life cycle environmental impacts of products through efficient digital solutions but also to enable the objectives of EU industrial policy, like boosting the demand for sustainable goods and supporting sustainable production.
The regulation sets up new duties and rights for manufacturers, importers and distributors, dealers, repairers, remanufacturers, recyclers, maintenance professionals, customers, end-users, consumers, national authorities, public interest organisations, the EU Commission, or any organisation acting on their behalf.
The ESPR entered into force on 18 July 2024, 20 days after its publication in the EU Official Journal, and the full text is available here: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=OJ:L_202401781
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