24-hour hotline : 23 922 922
e-mail address : enquiry@tid.gov.hk
Ref. : EIC 230/2/11
3 July 2024
Dear Sirs,
The European Parliament and the Council of the EU have adopted Regulation (EU) 2024/1781, which is also known as the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR). The ESPR was published on 28 June 2024 and is available at: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=OJ:L_202401781.
2.The ESPR establishes a framework for the setting of ecodesign requirements that products have to comply with before they can be placed on the market or put into service. It applies to any physical goods, including components and intermediate products, with exceptions such as food, feed, medicinal products and vehicles, etc. In particular, economic operators are required to include information on the product's specifics, traceability and sustainability in a digital product passport. Delegated acts will be adopted to lay down the requirements for individual product groups, which will apply at least 18 months from the entry into force of these acts.
3.In addition, economic operators that destroy unsold consumer products shall disclose annually the quantities of products that have been discarded and the reasons, and the destruction of unsold textiles and footwear as listed in Annex VII of the ESPR shall be prohibited from 19 July 2026 (applicable to medium-sized enterprises from 19 July 2030 and exempted for micro and small enterprises).
4.The ESPR will enter into force on 18 July 2024. Relevant information on the ESPR prepared by the European Commission is available at: https://commission.europa.eu/energy-climate-change-environment/standards-tools-and-labels/products-labelling-rules-and-requirements/sustainable-products/ecodesign-sustainable-products-regulation_en.
5.For enquiries concerning the content of this circular, please contact the undersigned at 2398 5684.
Yours faithfully,
(Ms Tracy MAK)
for Director-General of Trade and Industry
* The EU comprises 27 member countries, namely, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden.
| Note 1: | While every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the above information, the Department cannot guarantee this to be so and will not be held liable for any reliance placed on the same. |
| Note 2: | "Regulatory Alert - EU" of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council provides up-to-date information on the latest developments in EU trade policy and trade regulations. It is available at: https://research.hktdc.com/en/regulatory-alerts/eu. |