Iron and Steel under ESPR and the Digital Product Passport
Iron and steel is identified in the first Working Plan as the lead category for ESPR delegated acts. Preparatory study and stakeholder consultation are underway. No delegated act has been proposed yet, but this is the category to watch most closely if you are in the steel supply chain.
Status: Signaled: likely the first ESPR delegated act Signaled
Key date: 2028 to 2029 (estimated compliance) Signaled
Scope: Iron and steel products; intermediate goods expected to be addressed first
Governing instrument: ESPR delegated act (in preparation)
Last verified: 10 August 2026
Key dates for this sector
2026 to 2027
Signaled
First category delegated acts expected. Iron and steel is the lead category and the only one to reach public consultation, which ran 20 May to 12 August 2026 and is now closed, with adoption targeted Q4 2026. Textiles, tyres, and aluminium follow. Dates other than the consultation window are indicative.
Expected DPP data requirements (not yet confirmed in an act):
- Embodied carbon and carbon footprint per tonne of product
- Recycled scrap content percentage
- Substances of concern
- Country of origin and production route
Watch items
- Delegated act proposal expected late 2026 into 2027. No draft act has been published and no consultation on a draft act has opened. Compliance timeline of 2028 to 2029 is indicative and will shift once the act is proposed and adopted. Signaled
What to do now
The Commission's public consultation on the iron and steel ecodesign act ran 20 May to 12 August 2026 and is now closed; the Commission is processing feedback, with adoption targeted Q4 2026. It is the only Working Plan category to have reached this stage. Begin preparing verified embodied-carbon and recycled-content data now; customers in regulated downstream categories will request it before your own deadline arrives.
Part of ESPR Atlas, the free ESPR and Digital Product Passport intelligence hub. Compare all nine categories on the Sectors in Scope page.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does ESPR apply to iron and steel?
Signaled: likely the first ESPR delegated act. Key date: 2028 to 2029 (estimated compliance). This timeline is signaled, not an adopted act; plan against date ranges rather than fixed deadlines.
What Digital Product Passport data will iron and steel require?
Expected DPP data requirements (not yet confirmed in an act): Embodied carbon and carbon footprint per tonne of product; Recycled scrap content percentage; Substances of concern; Country of origin and production route.
What should iron and steel companies watch?
Delegated act proposal expected late 2026 into 2027. No draft act has been published and no consultation on a draft act has opened. Compliance timeline of 2028 to 2029 is indicative and will shift once the act is proposed and adopted.
What should iron and steel companies do now?
The Commission's public consultation on the iron and steel ecodesign act ran 20 May to 12 August 2026 and is now closed; the Commission is processing feedback, with adoption targeted Q4 2026. It is the only Working Plan category to have reached this stage. Begin preparing verified embodied-carbon and recycled-content data now; customers in regulated downstream categories will request it before your own deadline arrives.