Five unexpected ways the ESPR will impact the contract interiors industry
By Matthew Ekholm, Digital Product Passports and Circularity Specialist at Provenant
Sustainability evidence is becoming essential in tenders, and businesses with clear, verifiable product data will have the advantage
For the growing number of businesses becoming aware of the EU’s Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR), the initial reaction has often been to treat it as a compliance exercise: a new set of rules to follow, systems to implement, and deadlines to prepare for.
That’s understandable. Since coming into force in 2024, businesses across Europe and beyond have been trying to get to grips with what the legislation means for them, particularly the introduction of Digital Product Passports (DPPs) for products placed on the EU market.
But while compliance is naturally the starting point, some businesses are already beginning to see the wider opportunities hidden within the regulation — especially around the operational and commercial advantages that DPP readiness can create.
As the industry prepares for the changes ahead, here are five ways the ESPR could reshape the contract interiors sector in ways many businesses may not yet expect.
1. Scarcity-led business models may become harder to sustain
Some business models within the contract interiors sector have historically relied on tightly controlling the circulation of surplus goods in order to protect pricing and margins. In some cases, that has meant destroying unsold products rather than allowing them to enter secondary markets.
Under the ESPR, the destruction of unsold apparel, clothing, accessories and footwear will be banned, opening the door for similar measures to eventually affect other sectors too. Given the EU’s wider ambition to accelerate circularity, preventing the destruction of usable products feels like a logical direction of travel.
Digital Product Passports will also introduce far greater traceability across supply chains, making it increasingly difficult for businesses to operate outside of those expectations unnoticed.
For organisations that have traditionally relied on scarcity to maintain value, this may prompt a rethink of how that value is created in the future.
2. DPP readiness could become an advantage in public sector tenders
Sustainability performance is already becoming increasingly important within public sector procurement, and that trend is only expected to continue.
Many tenders now require stronger environmental evidence, and upcoming EU procurement legislation is likely to place even greater emphasis on verifiable sustainability credentials. While the finer details are still emerging, the direction is clear: businesses will need better product-level data to compete effectively.
That means the work being done now to prepare Digital Product Passports could quickly become commercially valuable beyond simple compliance.
Businesses that move early to structure and validate their product data may find themselves better positioned when procurement requirements become more demanding in the years ahead.
“For organisations that have traditionally
relied on scarcity to maintain value, this
may prompt a rethink of how that value
is created in the future”
Digital Product Passports will help prove sustainability claims with verified product data, building trust across procurement
3. Compliance will start much earlier in the design process
Traditionally, design and compliance have often operated separately within the contract interiors industry. Design teams make decisions around materials, finishes and sourcing, while compliance checks tend to happen later in the process.
The ESPR is likely to blur those lines considerably.
Because the regulation places such strong emphasis on the environmental impact of product design, sustainability considerations will increasingly need to be addressed from the very beginning of product development.
In practice, that could mean more compliance oversight throughout the design process, or design teams themselves becoming more closely involved in compliance and sustainability decision-making.
Either way, compliance is unlikely to remain a final-stage checkpoint for much longer.
4. It may unintentionally improve product recall systems
Product recall was never one of the headline ambitions of the ESPR, but the work businesses are doing to prepare for DPPs may end up strengthening recall capabilities significantly.
Many organisations are currently reviewing where their product data sits, what information is missing, and how supplier and manufacturing data can be better structured and connected.
Although this work is being driven by sustainability requirements, it also creates major advantages for traceability.
Cleaner, more accessible product data makes it easier to identify affected batches, suppliers or components if problems arise — something particularly valuable within contract interiors and fit-out projects, where products often move through highly complex supply chains involving manufacturers, contractors, developers and distributors.
“Because the regulation places such strong
emphasis on the environmental impact of
product design, sustainability considerations
will increasingly need to be addressed from
the very beginning of product development”
5. Verified sustainability claims could strengthen customer trust
Sustainability messaging has become a major part of marketing across almost every industry, but consumers and procurement teams alike have also become increasingly sceptical of vague or unverified environmental claims.
The ESPR and Digital Product Passports may help change that.
As businesses are required to provide verifiable product-level sustainability information, those genuinely investing in responsible practices will have a much clearer way to demonstrate it.
For customers, contractors and procurement teams, that could mean greater visibility into everything from embodied carbon and material sourcing through to repairability and end-of-life guidance.
Ultimately, the businesses that stand to gain the most may be those that view DPPs not simply as a compliance requirement, but as an opportunity to improve operations, strengthen procurement positioning, and build greater trust in an increasingly sustainability-focused market.
