On August 31, 2023, the European Commission officially published the Ecodesign Regulation (EU) 2023/1670 and Energy Labeling Regulation (EU) 2023/1669 for mobile phones and tablets in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJ). These regulations are developed in accordance with the requirements of the EU Ecodesign Directive 2009/125/EC and the EU Energy Labeling Regulation (EU) 2017/1369. Both regulations will come into effect 20 days after their publication in the OJ and will be enforced from June 20, 2025.
EU Officially Releases Ecodesign and Energy Labeling Laws for Mobile Phones and Tablets
Ecodesign Regulation (EU) 2023/1670 In order to improve the energy efficiency and durability of mobile phones and tablets, strict requirements are imposed on repairability, transparency, and recycling through ecodesign principles. Manufacturers, importers, or agents are obliged to provide key spare parts (e.g., batteries, back covers, screens, front and rear cameras, speakers, etc.) to repair personnel within 5-10 working days, ensuring that products can be repaired and recycled for up to 7 years from market entry to end of life if batteries or back covers cannot be provided to users. Manufacturers must ensure that products meet the following requirements if they cannot provide batteries or back cover assemblies:
- Cycle life not less than 500 times, with at least 83% remaining capacity after 500 cycles.
- Battery cycle life not less than 1000 times, with at least 80% remaining capacity after 1000 cycles.
- Product has IP67 dust and water resistance design.
The regulation requires manufacturers, importers, or agents to publicly disclose product repair manuals on their free websites, providing repair and maintenance information for professional technicians or users, including product identification, disassembly diagrams, fault diagnosis information, necessary circuit connection diagrams, location diagrams, and disassembly tool requirements.
To enhance the durability of mobile phones and tablets, the regulation requires products to meet certain reliability requirements:
- Anti-drop design.
- Screen design with Mohs hardness level of 4.
- IP44 dust and water resistance rating design.
- Battery cycle life not less than 500 times.
- Improved battery management functions, optimizing charging efficiency.
- Availability of operating system upgrades for at least 5 years after market entry.
- Non-discriminatory use by professional repair personnel for any required software or firmware replacement.
Energy Labeling Regulation (EU) 2023/1669 According to this regulation, all smartphones and tablets must come with an energy efficiency label and can only be marketed for sale after registration on the European Product Database for Energy Labeling (EPREL). The label includes product repairability ratings, durability ratings, IP ratings, product battery life, and battery life, among other information.