EU regulations on ecodesign

The term “ecodesign” has been introduced by the so-called ErP Directive of 2009 on the framework for setting ecodesign requirements for energy-using products (No. 2009/125/EC, replacing EuP Directive No. 2005/32/EC). The document is the centerpiece of EU policy to improve the energy efficiency and environmental performance of products in the internal market.

The eco-design directive is a framework directive.
This means that binding ecodesign requirements are established in separate EU implementing regulations for individual product groups. The directive itself only defines the conditions and criteria for implementing measures:
a specific product must have a significant impact on the environment, be sold in quantities of more than 200,000 units per year within the Union, and show clear potential for improving energy efficiency, provided that this does not entail excessive costs.

The European Commission creates a list of products with energy-saving potential, and then comprehensive studies are carried out on the product group in question. If it turns out that the application of ecodesign requirements will result in significant savings, the European Commission, together with an advisory body (the Ecodesign Forum), creates implementing regulations that will directly apply to all EU member states.