EU Ecodesign Regulation (Smartphones & Tablets)

The regulation requires manufacturers to make key spare parts available to professional repairers for seven years after a model stops being placed on the market, to provide operating system updates for at least five years after that point, and to meet minimum standards for drop resistance, water and dust protection, and battery endurance. The energy labelling regulation adopted alongside it (2023/1669) shows a repairability class and battery endurance on the label at the point of sale.

For the recommerce market, these rules extend the useful and sellable life of devices. Longer software support means a device stays secure and compatible for more years, which supports demand for older models; guaranteed spare parts lower repair costs and shift more devices from parts harvesting to refurbishment. Both tend to flatten the depreciation curve for models launched under the regulation compared with earlier generations.

The effect will show up gradually, as the first models designed under the rules reach the secondary market in volume. Operators pricing those models should not assume they will follow the depreciation patterns of pre-2025 devices, and should watch whether repairability class and remaining update years start to show up as visible price differences between otherwise similar models.