The EU Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) is a major step forward for businesses looking to enhance sustainability and compliance. In this article we explore how to prepare for ESPR, helping businesses align with new requirements while boosting competitiveness. ESPR represents a big step towards making sustainable products the norm across European markets. Set to roll out in phases, ESPR aims to reduce waste, improve energy efficiency, and drive circular economy principles. For businesses, this regulation offers an opportunity to future-proof operations, build brand trust, and enhance competitiveness in an increasingly eco-conscious market. While compliance may seem complex, it also paves the way for innovation and long-term growth. Whilst ESPR is driving change in the EU market, companies around the world are recognising the need to develop more sustainable products, making this a useful read for any business. This guide highlights the key areas to focus on and practical steps to ensure compliance while maintaining competitiveness.
Preparing for ESPR
Later in this guide we look at the specific actions across different areas of the business which need to adapt to align to ESPR. A key first step for any company looking to adopt more sustainable product practices is to establish some central guiding principles. These guard rails will be pervasive across the approach, providing clarity and consistency for teams. These principles enable teams to translate the business’s sustainability objectives into actionable steps. Establishing these principles early prevents duplication of effort, reduces costs, and mitigates the risk of non-compliance.
Developing principles for your business requires a tailored approach. While some principles follow regulatory requirements, others reflect business choices aligned with brand identity, product range, and material impacts, risks, and opportunities. For example, a principle could require a specific percentage of materials to come from recycled content. Other principles may set traceability standards for materials or define expectations for lifecycle information available on products. Forming a cross-functional team, backed by senior leadership, to establish clear, actionable principles lays the foundation for transforming product management within the company..
Adopting ESPR
This guide explores 12 critical areas where businesses need to assess and address the impact of ESPR. By focusing on these areas, companies can embed sustainability directly into their core operations, ensuring it becomes an integral part of everyday decision-making rather than a standalone initiative. This approach not only helps with compliance but also positions sustainability as a driver for business growth and resilience.
Based on the work we’ve already done with clients, this guide draws on practical, real-world examples of how businesses are integrating sustainability into their operations. It highlights proven actions that make compliance achievable without overwhelming existing processes.
Sustainable Procurement Strategies for ESPR Compliance
An initial focal point should be on the procurement side of the business. Aligning the purchase of materials or finished goods with the sustainability principles, for many businesses, will be a significant task. Companies need to adapt buying strategies that prioritise sustainable materials while balancing cost-efficiency. Procurement policies need to be adapted to reflect compliance requirements without disrupting supply chains or pricing models. Companies should communicate and make clear their preferences to suppliers and partners. It is important to review supplier relationships to ensure partners meet sustainability standards and create mechanisms for evaluating supplier performance over time.
Strengthening Product Compliance Standards
Incorporating ecodesign principles into product development guidelines is essential. Teams and suppliers need to be trained on compliance measures to ensure consistency across the product lifecycle. Businesses should develop clear standards covering materials, energy efficiency, and recyclability, enabling them to meet evolving regulatory expectations. This requires implementing internal audit processes, supplier checklists, and regular product reviews to ensure ongoing compliance.
Raising the Bar on Product Quality and Sustainability
Durability and circularity are central to ESPR. Companies must enforce standards that embed these principles into product development. By extending quality control mechanisms and lifecycle assessments, businesses can improve performance and sustainability credentials. Aligning materials strategies with certification requirements, including Digital Product Passports (DPPs), will further strengthen transparency and trust. Businesses need to also invest in testing protocols and continuous improvement practices to monitor product performance and reduce defects over time.
Building Frameworks for Circularity and Durability
To comply with ESPR, businesses must adopt frameworks that promote reuse, repair, and recyclability. Circularity isn’t just about materials—it’s about designing products with longevity in mind. Testing protocols should validate durability, while customer education can drive adoption of sustainable practices. Companies may also need to establish reverse logistics systems and partnerships to enable repair and refurbishment services, making circularity more accessible and practical.
Measuring Environmental Impact
Sustainability isn’t just about intent—it’s about data. Developing systems to measure environmental footprints helps track resource usage and emissions. These insights enable businesses to demonstrate compliance and drive continuous improvements. Companies need to adopt tools for lifecycle assessments (LCAs) and create internal dashboards to monitor progress against sustainability targets. To drive compliance metrics should be developed to surface key information to management teams so early intervention can be performed where needed. Connecting the metrics to compensation is also an adoption to ensure accountability from leaders.
Traceability and Data Governance
The introduction of DPPs means traceability is no longer optional when adopting ESPR. Businesses need clear roadmaps for capturing and managing data required for compliance. Systems should be built to handle traceability data for DPPs, providing audit trails and ensuring transparency. Companies should invest in blockchain or other secure data technologies to track materials and processes throughout the supply chain.
Our work highlights that most value chains currently lack the data needed for traceability. Businesses must actively engage with suppliers, partners, and peers to define requirements and build collaborations. Some sectors have already made progress, such as TFS for the Chemicals sector and Catena-X in automotive.
Communication and Branding in a Sustainable Era
Sustainability is a competitive advantage when communicated effectively. Branding strategies must highlight compliance efforts while building consumer trust. Transparent messaging ensures businesses meet regulatory standards and resonate with eco-conscious audiences. Businesses should also use certifications and eco-labels to enhance credibility and promote their efforts through targeted marketing campaigns.
Marketing teams must understand regulations related to communications and receive support to implement necessary changes. Businesses should audit existing marketing for accuracy, risks, and compliance. Updating guidelines for product and brand marketing ensures alignment with compliance requirements. Companies should also work closely with creative agencies and partners, quality-assuring all communications for compliance.
Investing in Technology for Compliance
Technology plays a valuable role in meeting ESPR requirements. From selecting and implementing DPP infrastructure to integrating data systems, businesses must ensure they can capture and report sustainability metrics at scale. Companies should explore enterprise resource planning (ERP) upgrades, supply chain management tools, and IoT technologies to automate data capture and reporting processes.
There is significant risk that companies implement requirements outside of their existing systems. This will result in proliferation of infrastructure and management effort. It is important that companies take an enterprise wide perspective on using technology and where possible implement centralised systems. This helps to eliminate inconsistencies in approach and provides an important single source of truth across the business.
Managing Legal and Regulatory Complexity
Adopting ESPR requires legal expertise. Businesses should seek legal support to design compliance frameworks and mitigate risks. Proactive legal planning ensures solutions are both compliant and scalable. Companies should establish cross-functional teams that include legal, compliance, risk, and sustainability experts to handle evolving regulatory requirements and provide ongoing training for staff.
Many of the legal teams we have worked with have discovered there is a steep learning curve related to ESPR for their existing team members. Investing in development of specific expertise in this area will have long term benefits. Embedding that legal expertise into product development teams will streamline activity, avoiding the often cumbersome process of seeking legal sign-off at stages of product development.
How Jordisk can help
As this guide demonstrates, ESPR is wide-ranging, impacting nearly every aspect of how products are designed, sourced, and marketed. It requires businesses to break down silos and take a coordinated approach to integrating sustainability into their operating models. Addressing this complexity is not only about compliance—it’s about building resilience, unlocking efficiencies, and enhancing brand reputation.
At Jordisk, we specialise in making sustainability practical and manageable. We help businesses simplify compliance by embedding ESG practices into daily operations, ensuring sustainability becomes a core part of how they work—not an isolated initiative. Our pragmatic, results-focused approach provides clear guidance, enabling businesses to deliver measurable impact through practical, achievable steps. Contact us to learn more or to speak with one of our team.
