Designing More Sustainable Products: 18 Priority Categories Identified by the EU Joint Research Centre

Overview

The Joint Research Centre (JRC) of the European Commission has published a pivotal report identifying 18 product categories with high potential for sustainability improvements under the newly enforced EU Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR, EU Regulation 2024/1781). This regulation, effective from July 2024, aims to make sustainability the norm in EU product markets by setting mandatory environmental criteria, thus reducing environmental impacts and enhancing the EU’s strategic autonomy.

The Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR)

The ESPR extends beyond previous energy-related regulations by covering a wide array of products throughout their lifecycle. It seeks to reduce waste, resource consumption, and promote circularity and long-term sustainability. The regulation supports Europe’s green transition, competitive net-zero industry, and climate neutrality goals.

Prioritized Product Categories

From an initial list of 33 categories, the JRC report shortlisted 18 high-potential product groups categorized into:

Final Products (11):

• Textiles and footwear
• Furniture
• Tyres
• Bed mattresses
• Detergents
• Paints and varnishes
• Lubricants
• Cosmetics
• Toys
• Fishing gear
• Absorbent hygiene products

Intermediate Products (7):

• Iron and steel
• Commodity chemicals
• Non-ferrous, non-aluminium metal products
• Aluminium
• Plastics and polymers
• Pulp and paper
• Glass

Regulating these products under ESPR is expected to significantly reduce environmental footprints and enhance supply security, addressing critical challenges from EU consumption patterns that currently exceed planetary boundaries.

Criteria for Sustainability Assessment

JRC scientists evaluated products across 10 environmental impact categories:

• Water
• Air
• Biodiversity
• Soil
• Life-cycle energy consumption
• Waste generation and management
• Climate change
• Human toxicity
• Material efficiency
• Lifetime extension

Additional considerations included economic relevance, policy overlap, regulatory costs, and the potential to reduce supply chain dependencies — thereby bolstering EU strategic autonomy.

Horizontal Requirements for Sustainable Products

The ESPR allows for "horizontal" ecodesign requirements applicable across multiple product groups. The JRC ranked requirements focusing on:

• Durability (including repairability)
• Recyclability
• Recycled content

Durability was underscored as having the greatest potential to decrease environmental impacts across categories such as textiles, footwear, toys, mattresses, electronics, and energy-related products.

Next Steps

The JRC’s final analysis incorporates feedback from a 2023 public consultation and will guide the European Commission in drafting the first ESPR Working Plan, expected in early 2025. Subsequent in-depth studies and stakeholder engagement will refine the feasibility and specifics of regulatory measures for selected products.

Importance for Sustainability and the EU Economy

This report supports the EU’s broader policies for environmental protection, circular economy transition, and climate action. By systematically prioritizing products with the greatest improvement potential, the ESPR aims to reduce the EU’s ecological footprint, encourage sustainable business practices, and secure supply chains for essential materials.

References

• Joint Research Centre, "Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation: Study on new product priorities," November 2024
• EU Regulation 2024/1781 on Ecodesign for Sustainable Products (ESPR)
• European Commission Ecodesign Forum

By focusing on these priority product categories and horizontal design requirements, the EU is setting a comprehensive framework to embed sustainability at the heart of product manufacturing and consumption, ensuring lasting environmental benefits and resilience in EU markets.

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