Scoping study of specific product groups identified as possible priorities under the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR)
The Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) is the EU framework that sets performance and information requirements to make products more sustainable across their life cycle.
This study provides input to product prioritisation and measure scoping under ESPR. The focus is primarily on the following product groups: furniture (incl. interfaces with mattresses), tyres, plastics/polymers, and the horizontal aspect “recyclability & recycled content” for electrical and electronic equipment (EEE). The work consolidates market data (production, trade, prices, drivers) and screens environmental, climate and energy impacts, estimating improvement potentials. The outcome is a transparent, ranked prioritisation to support decision-making.
Using a top-down approach with EXIOBASE and PRODCOM product ratios, we estimate the multi-regional input-output environmental impacts and improvement potential of a wide range of products, including furniture, mattresses, tyres, plastics/polymers, ICT/EEE products, aluminium, chemicals (commodity/other), detergents, energy-related products (ESPR & Ecodesign), iron & steel, lubricants, paints, and textiles (garments/footwear). The analyzed impact categories include GHG, human toxicity, particulate matter, photochemical ozone, acidification, eutrophication, ecotoxicity, land use/LUC, resource depletion, and primary energy. With the help of expert knowledge and scientific literature, we identify and calculate improvement potential.
10/2024 - 08/2025
Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research ISI