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Compliance readiness check: which EU product rules apply to you

Written by the PIM Selection editorsReviewed by Stephan SpijkersLast reviewed Reading time 2 min

The compliance readiness check asks 14 questions about your products, channels, claims and company size, then shows which of seven EU instruments apply: PPWR, ESPR, the Digital Product Passport, GPSR, EUDR, the ECGT Directive and the European Accessibility Act. For each, it lists three to four product data actions and the next key date.

Which EU product regulations apply to you?

The readiness check maps your products, channels and claims to the seven EU instruments that set product data requirements. It takes about three minutes and returns a short list of regulations with data actions for each. The product data compliance pillar explains the regulations in full.

1. Do you place products on the EU market, either as manufacturer, importer, distributor or online seller?

Answer yes if any of your products are sold or supplied to customers in an EU Member State, directly or through partners.

2. Do your products reach consumers, either directly or through retailers and marketplaces?

GPSR covers consumer products, including professional products that consumers can reasonably be expected to use.

3. Do you sell to consumers through your own web shop, app or marketplace listings?

Online offers must carry GPSR identification and safety data, and e-commerce services fall under the European Accessibility Act unless you are a service microenterprise.

4. Do you place packaged products, or packaging itself, on the EU market, including shipping packaging for e-commerce?

PPWR covers sales, grouped, transport and e-commerce packaging of any material.

5. Is any of your packaging in contact with food?

PPWR restricts PFAS in food-contact packaging from 12 August 2026.

6. Do you sell apparel, clothing accessories, footwear or other textile products?

Textiles are an ESPR priority group with a delegated act and Digital Product Passport expected; the ban on destroying unsold apparel and footwear already applies to large companies.

7. Do you sell furniture, mattresses or tyres?

These are ESPR priority product groups in the 2025 to 2030 working plan.

8. Do you produce or trade iron, steel or aluminium products, or construction products?

Iron and steel is the first ESPR delegated act on the Commission timeline; construction products get a DPP under the Construction Products Regulation.

9. Do you sell computers, smartphones, tablets, e-readers, payment terminals or other consumer electronics or energy-related products?

Several of these are in scope of the European Accessibility Act as products, and energy-related products are part of the ESPR working plan.

10. Do you place EV batteries, light means of transport batteries or industrial batteries above 2 kWh on the market?

These batteries need a battery passport from 18 February 2027 under Regulation (EU) 2023/1542.

11. Do you import, export or place on the EU market products made from cattle, cocoa, coffee, oil palm, rubber, soya or wood?

Examples include leather goods, chocolate, coffee, furniture, paper packaging, tyres and products containing palm oil derivatives. Check the HS codes in Annex I of EUDR.

12. Do you make environmental or sustainability claims, or show sustainability labels, on products, packaging, web pages or advertising?

Examples: eco-friendly, climate neutral, recyclable, made with recycled materials, or third-party logos.

13. Do you sell goods to consumers where durability, repairability, spare parts or software updates matter, such as appliances or electronics?

Directive (EU) 2024/825 requires this information at the point of sale where producers make it available.

14. What is the size of your company?

Size changes dates: ESPR unsold goods rules apply to large companies now and medium companies in 2030, EUDR gives micro and small operators until 30 June 2027, and service microenterprises are exempt from the EAA.

Answer for your whole business, including brands and channels you plan to add in the next 12 months. Where you are unsure, choose the broader answer; the check then includes the regulation so you can confirm scope later.

What does the check ask?

The 14 questions cover five areas that decide applicability. Each answer adds or leaves out one or more regulations.

Area Questions Regulations it can trigger
Market and customers EU market, consumer sales, online channels GPSR, European Accessibility Act, ECGT Directive
Packaging Packaged goods, food-contact packaging PPWR
Product categories Textiles, furniture and tyres, metals and construction, electronics, batteries ESPR, Digital Product Passport, European Accessibility Act
Commodities Cattle, cocoa, coffee, oil palm, rubber, soya, wood EUDR
Claims and size Environmental claims, durability information, company size ECGT Directive, ESPR

Company size changes dates more than scope. Large companies face the ESPR destruction ban from 19 July 2026; micro and small operators get until 30 June 2027 under EUDR.

How should you read the result?

The result lists each applicable regulation with a headline, three to four product data actions and a link to the regulation page. Start with the regulation that combines the nearest fixed date with the largest gap in your data.

Each action is written for a product data team. Examples are "Create a packaging entity in the PIM with components, materials and weights per SKU" for PPWR, or "Model manufacturer and EU responsible person as linked party records" for GPSR.

The check gives a first indication. Exact scope depends on HS codes, your role in the supply chain and national transposition, so confirm it with your regulatory or legal team.

What comes next?

Turn the result into requirements before you compare any software. PIMvendors' sequence is Data, then Process, then People, then Tooling, and regulation sharpens each step.

  1. Read the regulation pages for each result and copy their attribute tables into a requirements workshop.
  2. Write the attributes as testable requirements using the requirements for regulatory product data page.
  3. Add the dates to your calendar from the Compliance Countdown.
  4. Check your wider product data maturity with the PIM Readiness Score.

Most companies find three or four regulations apply. Start with the one that has the nearest fixed date and the biggest gap in your data model.

Stephan SpijkersCo-founder, PIMvendors.com

Frequently asked questions

How long does the readiness check take?

The readiness check has 14 multiple-choice questions and takes about three minutes. You need to know your main product categories, sales channels, whether you make environmental claims and your company size. No registration is needed, and the result shows on screen with the option to save it as a PDF.

How precise is the result of the readiness check?

The readiness check gives a first indication based on general scope rules. Exact scope depends on product classification, HS codes, your role in the supply chain and national transposition of directives. Use the result to prioritise data work and to prepare the scope discussion with your regulatory or legal team.

Why does company size change the result?

Company size changes dates and exemptions. Large companies face the ESPR ban on destroying unsold apparel and footwear from 19 July 2026, medium companies from 2030. Micro and small operators get until 30 June 2027 under EUDR. Service microenterprises are exempt from the European Accessibility Act service requirements.

What should we do after the readiness check?

Read the regulation pages for the instruments that apply, then turn the attributes into requirements. The requirements for regulatory product data page shows how to write them as testable requirements for a PIM selection, and the Compliance Countdown tracks the dates. PIMvendors can review the result with you as part of a selection.

Sources and method

  1. Regulation (EU) 2025/40 on packaging and packaging waste (EUR-Lex)
  2. Directive (EU) 2024/825 (EUR-Lex)
  3. Your Europe: Accessibility requirements for services and products
  4. European Commission: ban on destruction of unsold clothes and shoes enters application

How this page was made: drafted by the PIM Selection editors from the sources listed, checked against the PIMvendors selection method, and signed off by a named expert. Editorial policy.

Cite this page

PIM Selection (2026). Compliance readiness check: which EU product rules apply to you. PIMvendors.com. https://pimselection.com/compliance/readiness-check/ (version 2026-10-14).