Europe has decided that furniture can no longer be a use-and-throw-away object. Between 2026 and 2028, a series of regulations will substantially change how furniture is designed, manufactured, sold, and managed at the end of its life within the European Union. For families, this means more information, more guarantees, and more pressure on brands to manufacture responsibly. For brands that already work circularly, it means Europe is proving them right.
The Ecodesign Regulation: the rule that changes everything
The Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) came into force in July 2024. It is the most ambitious legal framework the EU has passed on product sustainability, and furniture is squarely in its sights.
The ESPR isn't a recycling law. It goes much deeper: it requires products to be designed from the outset to last longer, be easier to repair, disassemble, remanufacture, and recycle. In other words, it makes circular design mandatory. Something some brands already do out of conviction, and that they will now have to do by law.
The specific requirements for furniture will cover aspects such as durability, reliability, repairability, ease of disassembly, recycled material content, and remanufacturing potential. The planned timeline places the specific requirements for the furniture sector in 2028.
The Digital Product Passport: 2027
One of the most concrete and immediate measures is the Digital Product Passport (DPP). From 2027, every piece of furniture sold in the European Union will need a digital record, accessible via QR code, with detailed information about the materials used, its durability, repairability, and recyclability.
The idea is that anyone will be able to scan a piece of furniture and know exactly what it's made of, where it was manufactured, whether it contains substances of concern, how it's repaired, and what happens to it at the end of its life. The centralized digital passport registry will be operational from July 2026, with voluntary adoption from that date and mandatory adoption for furniture from 2027.
For families, this is a revolution. Today it's almost impossible to know whether a piece of furniture contains formaldehyde, whether the wood has genuine certification, or whether the varnish emits VOCs. With the DPP, that information will be public and accessible in a standardized way.
Extended Producer Responsibility: 2026
In 2026, the EU's Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) system for furniture comes into effect. This means manufacturers will be legally responsible for what happens to their products at the end of their life, not just for selling them.
In practice, this means brands will have to fund the collection, treatment, and recycling of the furniture they place on the market. Those that already have their own take-back systems — like Circulari's return system — will be better positioned to comply with this regulation, because they already manage the product's full lifecycle.
For brands that currently wash their hands of a piece of furniture once it's sold, 2026 means a mandatory change of model.
What this means for a family buying furniture today
In the short term, the regulation doesn't change what you find in stores. But it does offer clues about what kind of furniture makes sense to buy if you're thinking medium-term:
- Cheap chipboard furniture is on borrowed time as a business model. The regulation will make its production and end-of-life management more expensive, and the brands that manufacture it will have to adapt or pass that cost on.
- Information about materials will be mandatory. If a brand can't tell you precisely what its furniture is made of today, it will have to by 2027. That will expose plenty of products that are sold today as "eco-friendly" without really being so.
- Manufacturers with take-back systems are already meeting the spirit of the law. Extended producer responsibility rewards those who already manage the product's full lifecycle.
Why Europe is heading in the same direction as Circulari
It's no coincidence. The circular economy isn't a marketing trend: it's the direction European regulation is moving in because it's the only sensible response to the problem of furniture waste. The EU generates more than 10 million tonnes of furniture waste every year, and the vast majority ends up incinerated or in landfill.
At Circulari, we've been designing for circularity from day one: solid wood that can be sanded and restored, take-back systems with financial compensation, local manufacturing to reduce logistics footprint. Not because the law forced us to, but because it's the only coherent way to make furniture.
European regulation doesn't catch us off guard. It confirms we were on the right track.
Key dates to remember
- July 2024: The ESPR Regulation comes into force.
- 2026: Extended Producer Responsibility for furniture takes effect in the EU. The Digital Product Passport registry opens on a voluntary basis.
- 2027: The Digital Product Passport becomes mandatory for furniture sold in the EU.
- 2028: Specific ecodesign requirements for the furniture sector: minimum durability, repairability, disassemblability, and material restrictions.
Discover how the Circulari system already meets the future of European regulation →
Share: