ESPR and the future of sustainable product compliance explained

Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR)

The Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) is one of the EU’s most ambitious attempts to make products more durable, sustainable and transparent. It goes far beyond earlier ecodesign rules. Instead of focusing mainly on energy-related goods, ESPR applies to nearly all physical products sold in the EU.

The regulation introduces strict requirements on durability, repairability, material composition, environmental impact and end-of-life treatment. It also demands structured product data that documents a product’s journey from manufacturing to recycling. ESPR is the foundation for the Digital Product Passport (DPP), which becomes the mandatory data layer for proving compliance in many sectors.

For manufacturers, importers and distributors, ESPR marks a shift: compliance is no longer just about meeting quality standards. It becomes a data obligation. Without reliable digital documentation, companies will struggle to place goods on the EU market, win tenders, or pass audits.

What ESPR requires from companies

ESPR includes several new expectations that will influence design, sourcing and documentation workflows.

1. Product design standards

Manufacturers must design products that are:

Easier to repair and disassemble
Made with more recycled content
Durable enough to reduce waste
Prepared for reuse and recovery

2. Lifecycle documentation

Firms must record data that shows:

Materials used and their origin
Environmental impact during production
Repair and reconditioning options
Recycling instructions
Supply-chain inputs that affect sustainability

This information becomes part of the Digital Product Passport.

3. Mandatory Digital Product Passport (DPP)

DPP is the mechanism that makes ESPR enforceable. It assigns a structured dataset to each product and links it to a verified source. See Partisia’s DPP and EUBW page

4. Market access conditions

Products that fail to meet ESPR standards may lose access to the EU market once DPP becomes mandatory in their category.

Why ESPR is forcing companies to rethink data management

The regulation demands a level of transparency that many supply chains currently cannot deliver. Data must be collected at each stage, verified, and made available in a consistent digital format.

Key challenges include:

Gathering data from suppliers across borders
Verifying authenticity of sustainability claims
Storing data in a secure and tamper-proof structure
Proving compliance without exposing confidential business information

Traditional spreadsheets and siloed systems cannot handle this. Companies need tools that guarantee trust and reduce manual work.

The link between ESPR, the Digital Product Passport and EUBW

ESPR relies on DPP to make product data available through a digital record. However, DPP is only credible when linked to a verified business identity. This is why ESPR is tied closely to the European Business Wallet (EUBW).

EUBW enables companies to:

Prove their legal identity
Issue and sign sustainability credentials
Share verified data with authorities
Attach trusted business information to the Digital Product Passport

Together, ESPR + DPP + EUBW create a digital chain from company to product, reducing administrative burdens and improving cross-border trust.

A practical example: sustainability data in complex supply chains

The coffee supply chain illustrates why ESPR requires strong digital infrastructure. Partisia’s coffee example describes how data from farmers, exporters and EU importers can be turned into a verified digital record.

A DPP ensures that:

Origin is documented
Working conditions and certifications are verifiable
Environmental data is trustworthy and tamper-proof
EU authorities can validate compliance quickly

As ESPR expands beyond batteries and textiles, similar pressure will fall on all manufacturers.

Explore the European Business Wallet (EUBW)

The Europe Commission is already taking the necessary steps to realise this strong potential and has made it one of its highest priorities to ensure such business wallets at a European level. In fact, they both made it a flagship action as part of EU’s competitive compass from January 2025 and part of the EU Commission's work program. The motivation for this may be related to the reported 2 trillion euro loss in annual global economic value from lost productivity and revenue opportunities.

Ipad - Digital Wallets for Business – Verifiable Credentials Beyond Identities

What's inside?

A Technical Solution
Practical use cases for a Business Wallet
The European Business Wallet (EUBW)

and more...

How Partisia supports ESPR and DPP compliance

Partisia provides the cryptographic infrastructure that allows companies to meet ESPR expectations while protecting confidential data. Its technology supports:

Secure data sharing across supply chains
Verifiable credentials for sustainability declarations
Trusted business identity through EUBW
Tamper-proof product data for DPP
Privacy-preserving collaboration that protects sensitive commercial information

Partisia’s platform uses Multi-Party Computation (MPC) and Confidential Computing to ensure that organizations can compute on and verify product data without exposing the underlying inputs. This resolves one of ESPR’s biggest challenges: balancing transparency with data protection.

ESPR sets a new standard for sustainability reporting, traceability and digital product documentation. Companies that prepare early - by adopting DPP, integrating EUBW and using secure collaboration technology will reduce compliance risk and stand stronger in a market that is moving toward strict, data-driven oversight.

Tags:

Decentralized Identities, Products

Partisia
2025.12.09