EU Policy & Regulatory Framework
European Union nations are committed to achieving climate neutrality by 2050 in line with the Paris Agreement. The European Green Deal serves as the EU’s roadmap for reaching this ambitious target, fostering innovation, sustainability, and long-term prosperity. Cradle to Cradle Certified® supports this vision by providing a globally recognized standard for products that contribute to a circular economy.
This page helps our community navigate the EU regulatory landscape and shows how Cradle to Cradle Certified® supports companies in preparing for what is coming, going beyond compliance where it matters most: material health, circularity, and credible product-level data.
What is the Green Deal?
The European Green Deal is a comprehensive package of policy initiatives designed to set the European Union on the path to a green transition, with the ultimate goal of reaching climate neutrality by 2050. Among these initiatives, the Circular Economy Action Plan aims to decouple economic growth from resource use and shift to circular systems in production and consumption. This plan outlines over 30 action points, focusing on the design of sustainable products, circularity in production processes, and empowering consumers and public buyers. It targets sectors such as electronics and ICT, batteries, packaging, plastics, textiles, construction and buildings, and food.
How Cradle to Cradle Certified® helps companies stay ahead
Cradle to Cradle Certified® (C2C Certified®) has long been at the forefront of setting rigorous standards for products and materials to enable the transition towards a circular economy. In collaboration with 2B Policy, we initiated a mapping of key pieces of legislation to align with the C2C Certified standard. Our holistic product certification framework covers numerous sectors, making many legislative texts relevant for comparison. After conducting thorough research and a gap analysis, we prioritized the following legislative texts:
Who is 2B Policy?
2B Policy specializes in helping organizations understand, navigate and integrate policy into their strategies and operations. Its extensive work comparing the C2C Certified® standard with key European legislation has helped turn EU policy knowledge into concrete action. After a year of dedicated effort, 2B Policy and the Institute are pleased to present their findings.
Navigating the EU regulatory landscape: 2026 to 2028+
A high-level view of the milestones shaping the EU regulatory calendar for our certification holders and their supply chains:
When | Key milestone |
Jan 2026 | CBAM definitive regime applies (reporting + legal obligation) |
Jan 2026 | One Substance, One Assessment (OSOA) package enters into force |
Jul 2026 | EU Central Digital Product Passport (DPP) Registry go-live; ban on destruction of certain unsold products (e.g. apparel, footwear) |
Aug 2026 | PPWR (Regulation EU 2025/40) applies EU-wide - including PFAS limits in food-contact packaging |
Sept 2026 | Empowering Consumers Directive applies EU-wide |
End 2026 | Expected ESPR Delegated Act for iron & steel; universal PFAS restriction proposal expected |
Q3 2026 | Commission proposal for the Circular Economy Act expected |
Feb 2027 | Mandatory Digital Product Passport for batteries under the EU Battery Regulation |
Jun 2027 | Waste Framework Directive - national transposition deadline |
2027 | Expected ESPR Delegated Acts for textiles, apparel and tyres |
Jan 2028 | PPWR Delegated Acts on Design for Recycling criteria and recyclability grading (A/B/C) |
Apr 2028 | Textile EPR schemes become operational at national level |
2028-2030 | ESPR Delegated Acts expected for furniture, aluminium, electronics & ICT |
2030 | All packaging on the EU market must be recyclable (PPWR) |