EEE 101: Regulations in Europe

In the latest edition of our 101-level webinar series where Stacey Bowers, Global Product Compliance Manager for Expert Services, provides a detailed outline of the current regulatory state of affairs for a specific product category, electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) is spotlighted. 

Our webinar, Electrical & electronic equipment (EEE): 101, offers in-depth coverage of the top regulatory trends and emerging requirements in this sector in Europe, the United States, and Asia-Pacific regions. In this article, we summarize the EEE regulations impacting Europe.

Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation

Over the past few years, Europe’s focus on enhancing circularity through energy efficiency, recyclability, and durability of its products has amplified.
 

Amending the product categories under the ESPR 

From 18 July 2024, the EU’s Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) has concentrated on boosting the positive environmental impact of products sold on the EU market, mandating stricter regulations for the materials used in the design and manufacture of products and packaging, the recyclability and reusability of products, and the waste management at the end of the product’s lifecycle. 

“The idea here,” says Stacey, “is to overturn the old Ecodesign directive, and replace it with the ESPR — and the ESPR will cover every product category in the EU.” 

Within the ESPR, the European Commission’s Ecodesign and Energy Labelling Working Plan for 2022 – 2024 provides sustainable requirements for 35 products, 16 of which are EEE products carried over from the first ESPR Working Plan. Some of these include: 

2026 

• Household dishwashers 

• Household washing machines and washer-dryers 

2027 

• Displays 

2028 

• EV chargers 

• Refrigerating appliances  

2029 

• Light sources and separate control gears 

2030 

• Mobile phones and tablets 

• Tumble dryers 

• Standby and off-mode consumption (typically for television)
   

Introducing Digital Product Passports 

The ESPR also introduced a new digital product passport (DPP) requirement for covered products. A DPP is a digital identity card for products, components, and materials, which functions as a QR code, storing information to showcase a products’ sustainability, promote its circularity, and ensure traceability from raw material sourcing 

It will hold businesses more accountable for the design, manufacture, and consumer use of their products. “It will [also] benefit the customer, allow the manufacturer to trace through their supply chain if issues with health and safety or recalls arise, and allow regulatory authorities to figure out when and where the product came from, and who is responsible,” says Stacey. 

The European Commission is currently considering the exact requirements to be listed in DPPs, and consulting with stakeholders on a standardization process to set rules on developing the product passport system across all categories, such as on data carriers, infrastructure, and data interoperability.
 

Read more about the digital product passport requirements and how businesses can prepare for the emergence of the DPP in our guide.

Europe’s approach to POPs

Recently, Europe has undergone several enactments, adoptions, and discussions with the European Commission (EC) on the region’s approach to Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs), including aligning with international efforts, tightening PFOS limits, and considering PCBs and PBDE restrictions.
 

Aligning Europe’s approach with international agreements 

The European Union (EU) enacted Council Decision (EU) 2025/868 to align Europe’s approach to POPs regulation with the Stockholm Convention.  

Europe is supporting the listing of additional chemicals in Annex A for eventual elimination from products. This would impact: 

• Chlorinated paraffins with carbon chain lengths in the range C14-17 and chlorination levels at or exceeding 45% by weight (MCCPs) 

• Chlorpyrifos, a pesticide known for its adverse health effects 

• Long-chain perfluorocarboxylic acids (LC-PFCAs), their salts, and related compounds 

The EU is also supporting the granting of specific exemptions for certain applications, such as defense weaponry and aerospace, if there are no feasible alternatives for those substances.
 

Tightening PFOS limits under the POPs Regulation 

Furthermore, the European Commission enacted Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) on June 27 2025, regarding perfluorooctane sulfonic acid and its derivatives. The Regulation amends certain provisions for PFOS under the POPs Regulation, including:

1.Introducing stricter unintentional trace contaminant (UTC) limit values for PFOS
 

• The UTC limit value is amended to <0.025mg/kg of PFOS or any of its salts present as UTC in substances, mixtures, or articles 

• <1mg/kg for the sum of concentration of all PFOS-related compounds present as UTC in substances, mixtures, or articles
   

2. Abolishing specific exemptions for PFOS

Considering PCBs under the POPs Regulation 

In February 2025, the Commission opened a consultation to discuss setting a UTC limit value of 0.2ppm for polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in mixtures and articles, in an effort to resolve legal uncertainty for operators who weren’t sure if a limit value applied to the substance. 

The Commission also proposed applying a separate UTC limit for PCBs unintentionally produced in the manufacturing of organic pigments and dyes. The proposed limit would initially be 25ppm, lowering to 10ppm three years after entering into force. 

The consultation ended on 18 March 2025.
 

Considering amendments to PBDE restrictions 

Lastly, the Commission announced a consultation, which also ended on 18 March 2025, regarding amending its current restrictions for five polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) under the POPs Regulation. 

The substances under scrutiny are: 

1. Tetrabromodiphenyl ether 
2. Pentabromodiphenyl ether 
3. Hexabromodiphenyl ether 
4. Heptabromodiphenyl ether 
5. Decabromodiphenyl ether 

They propose to lower the concentration limit to 350ppm from 30 December 2025 and 200ppm from 30 December 2027. 

Learn more about the impact of Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) and how regulators are managing their presence.