Six product groups come first under the EU’s Ecodesign Regulation: iron and steel, textiles and apparel, tyres, aluminium, furniture and mattresses. Two cross-cutting measures run beside them, one on repairability and one on recycled content and recyclability of electrical and electronic equipment. The Commission plans to adopt the rules for all of them between 2026 and 2029.
What is the Ecodesign Regulation?
The EU law, in force since 18 July 2024, that extends ecodesign rules from energy-using products such as fridges to nearly all physical goods. It works product group by product group: no product requirement binds a business until the rules for its group are adopted and apply. The Commission’s first working plan, of 16 April 2025, sets the order.
In what order do the groups come?
| Product group | Type | Planned year for the rules |
|---|---|---|
| Iron and steel | Intermediate product | 2026 |
| Textiles and apparel | Final product | 2027 |
| Tyres | Final product | 2027 |
| Aluminium | Intermediate product | 2027 |
| Furniture | Final product | 2028 |
| Mattresses | Final product | 2029 |
Footwear is kept out of the textiles group while a separate study looks at it. 16 energy-related products already in preparation, such as dishwashers and smartphones, carry over into the plan. The repairability measure, including a repair score, is planned for 2027, and the electronics measure for 2029.
What will the rules ask of these products?
Each group’s rules can set requirements on durability, repairability, recycled content and recyclability, and can require a Digital Product Passport (DPP). Passports therefore arrive group by group, not on one EU-wide date.
Does anything apply already?
Yes, two things, both on unsold goods. Since 19 July 2026, large companies may not destroy unsold clothing, clothing accessories and footwear, with exceptions such as safety reasons or damage. Large companies that discard unsold consumer products must also disclose each year how many and how much they discard. Medium-sized companies follow on both in 2030, and micro and small companies are exempt. Footwear is covered by this ban even though it sits outside the textiles group.
Where this comes from: Ecodesign Regulation (EU) 2024/1781, Articles 2(28), 5, 24 and 25; ESPR Working Plan 2025 to 2030, COM(2025) 187 final; European Commission, ban on destroying unsold clothes and shoes.