#31 Weekly Insight: Major Developments in DPP, ESPR & Europe’s Circular Economy (Week of July 29, 2025)

This week marked a major leap in the EU’s journey towards a transparent, circular, and sustainable economy. Below are the most important updates for stakeholders in Digital Product Passports (DPP), the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR), and European circular economy policy.

Digital Product Passport (DPP): Milestones & Consultation

The European Commission has announced an open public consultation on DPP service provider rules (open until August 27, 2025). This consultation will help decide certification requirements and assess compliance costs for DPP providers.

🔗 Official EC Consultation Page

🔗 Commission News: Launch of Consultation

Crucial Implementation Timeline:

• July 2026: DPP Central Registry goes live
• February 2027: Batteries become first product group with mandatory DPP
• Mid-2027: DPP rules enforced for textiles, iron, and steel

DPP will be fully integrated with the EU Single Window Environment for Customs, providing customs with automated DPP validation.

🔗 EU's Digital Product Passport Explanation

🔗 EU Single Window Regulation (EU) 2022/2399

ESPR Work Plan 2025–2030: Priorities & Deadlines

The first official ESPR Work Plan defines the next five years’ priority products and horizontal sustainability requirements.

• Final products: Textiles (excluding footwear), Furniture, Mattresses, Tyres
• Intermediate products: Iron & Steel, Aluminium

Key horizontal requirements: repairability & durability, recycled content, and recyclability for electrical/electronic equipment.

Expected adoption timeline:

• Iron & Steel: 2026
• Textiles & Tyres: 2027
• Furniture & Aluminium: 2028
• Mattresses: 2029

🔗 2025-2030 Working Plan Summary

🔗 Official ESPR Work Plan & Ecodesign Regulation

Sector-Specific Regulatory Trends

Textiles

Textile products are the first to face mandatory DPP under ESPR. A delegated act is due in 2026, enforcing requirements by July 2027:

• Durability, repairability, and recyclability
• Interlink with the updated EU Textile Labelling Regulation

🔗 Parliament study: Textile DPP prospects

Iron & Steel

Intermediate iron & steel products will be subject to ESPR reform first, ensuring fair competition and market stability across the value chain.

Electronics

While not prioritized for the first ESPR wave, electronics will soon need to comply with new cross-sectoral requirements on recyclability and recycled content.

Customs and Trade Enforcement

EU customs are preparing to use the DPP infrastructure via the EU Single Window for Customs, as set out in Regulation (EU) 2022/2399

This enables:

• Real-time DPP validation
• Blocking non-compliant imports
• Streamlined customs clearance

⚠️Recent developments:

• July 9, 2025: Parliament called for fast-tracked DPP for e-commerce and a revised EU Customs Code
• European Union tightens rules on e-commerce and non-EU product safety
• Proposal to abolish the €150 minimum threshold for low-value customs exemptions

Circular Economy Legislation: Major Announcements

On August 1, 2025, the Commission launched its consultation for the future EU Circular Economy Act (open until November 6, 2025).

Key objectives:

• Double the EU’s circularity rate by 2030
• Create a secondary raw materials market
• Align strategies with the Clean Industrial Deal and net-zero ambitions

🔗 Consultation for Circular Economy Act

🔗 General Circular Economy Action Plan

Local Circularity: Cities Lead

Leading cities — Amsterdam, Milan, Warsaw, Malmö, Porto, Copenhagen, and others—have published a declaration urging further EU support for local circular pilot projects.

⚠️ Why This Matters

The EU regulatory foundation for sustainable products is rapidly solidifying. If you’re in textiles, iron & steel, or electronics:

• Start investing in robust data infrastructure for DPP compliance now
• Monitor continuous customs and trade regulatory changes
• Prepare for full product and supply chain transparency

🚀 Fluxy.One empowers businesses to turn ESG compliance into competitive advantage.

Questions? Want strategy support for DPP or ESPR compliance? Contact the Fluxy.One team.

All links above direct to official EU and European Commission sources for legislation, consultations, and regulatory news.