Policy Priorities / Sustainability & Circular Economy
Ecodesign
How the framework works today
Sustainability and circularity are central to the European Union’s current policy agenda, with a strong focus on competitiveness, resource efficiency and industrial resilience. Recent initiatives aim to accelerate the transition towards a more circular and climate-neutral economy, while ensuring that European industry remains innovative and globally competitive.
The Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR), which entered into force in 2024, establishes a horizontal framework for setting environmental performance and information requirements for products placed on the EU market.
It aims to improve product durability, resource efficiency, recyclability and overall lifecycle performance, contributing to a more circular and competitive EU economy.
For the detergents and cleaning products sector, the relevance of ESPR lies in its future implementation through product-specific requirements, which are expected to define sustainability criteria across different product groups.
Ecodesign considerations for detergents are closely linked to:
- product formulation and performance,
- lifecycle environmental impacts, particularly during the use phase, and
- product information and digital tools supporting sustainability and compliance.
What is changing: implementation of the ESPR framework
Following its entry into force, the focus has shifted to the implementation phase of ESPR, including:
- the development of product-specific delegated acts,
- the introduction of digital product passports, and
- the definition of information and performance requirements.
These measures are expected to progressively translate the ESPR framework into practical requirements for products, including detergents and cleaning products.
This implementation phase is closely linked to the broader EU objective of ensuring that sustainability requirements are aligned with competitiveness and Single Market functioning.
Under the ESPR, detailed requirements are introduced through delegated acts adopted by the European Commission. While detergents are not included in the first wave of product-specific measures, they are identified as a relevant product group for future action.
In the meantime, horizontal requirements are expected to apply across sectors, including rules on product performance, resource efficiency, substances of concern and sustainability information. In addition, the ESPR introduces key cross-cutting tools such as the Digital Product Passport, which will define how product information is structured and accessed across the lifecycle.
Industry perspective and Detergents Europe’s work
For the detergents and cleaning products sector, the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation establishes an important framework shaping how product sustainability requirements will be developed and implemented in practice.
As formulated products with a significant use-phase impact, detergents are particularly sensitive to how performance, resource efficiency and environmental criteria are defined. Ecodesign measures have the potential to influence key aspects such as formulation, packaging, product information and consumer use patterns.
Ensuring that these requirements are based on robust lifecycle data and reflect real-world conditions is therefore essential for delivering meaningful environmental improvements while maintaining product performance and safety.
Detergents Europe contributes to the implementation of ESPR by providing:
- technical expertise on formulated products,
- input on lifecycle assessment and use-phase impacts, and
- practical insights on how requirements can be applied in practice.
From an industry perspective, implementation should:
- ensure coherence with existing legislation, including chemicals and packaging frameworks,
- avoid overlapping or conflicting requirements, and
- support innovation and competitiveness, alongside environmental objectives.
Ensuring clear, harmonised implementation across Member States remains a key priority.
