Computer monitors, laptops and office IT hardware

• Directive 2014/35/EU — Low Voltage
• Directive 2014/30/EU — EMC
• Regulation (EU) 2019/2021 — ecodesign for electronic displays
• Regulation (EU) 2023/1670 — ecodesign for smartphones and tablets
• Directive 2011/65/EU — RoHS
• Directive 2012/19/EU — WEEE
• Regulation (EU) 2024/2847 — CRA

Who has to appoint one

Manufacturers and sellers outside the Union placing IT hardware on the EU market. Displays require EPREL registration and an energy label, and from 2025 smartphones and tablets carry repairability scores and spare part obligations that are extending to other categories.

Thresholds and exemptions

Ecodesign and labelling apply per product group. RoHS, WEEE and packaging apply to all electrical equipment.

What must appear on the label

CE marking, manufacturer and EU representative details, model identifier, rated data, the WEEE symbol, and for displays the energy label with the class and EPREL QR code. Devices in scope of the new ecodesign rules also show the repairability information.

Marketplace fields

Marketplaces refuse display listings without EPREL and the label image, and enterprise procurement increasingly requires spare part availability commitments and repairability scores.

Documentation you must hold

EU declaration of conformity, technical file, electrical and EMC test reports, RoHS declarations, EPREL registration with the product information sheet, spare parts and software update commitments where the ecodesign rules require them, and WEEE and packaging registrations.

Standards and testing

EN IEC 62368-1 for safety, EN 55032 and EN 55035 for EMC, power consumption measurement in the defined modes, and RoHS analysis on homogeneous materials.

Language requirements

Instructions and safety information in the language of each member state of sale.

When it applies

EPREL before the first unit is placed on the market. Ecodesign requirements for smartphones and tablets have applied since June 2025, including spare part availability for seven years.

How long records are kept

Ten years for technical documentation and fifteen for EPREL data.

What happens if you do not comply

Withdrawal, marketplace suppression for missing EPREL, and fines. Spare part and update commitments are enforceable obligations, not marketing promises.

Who enforces it

Market surveillance authorities, energy agencies, WEEE registers and customs.

Where the boundary lies

Connected IT hardware falls under the CRA from December 2027, with vulnerability reporting from September 2026, and the declared support period will have to align with the ecodesign update obligations. Business-to-business sales do not escape the ecodesign rules.

Questions we are asked

Is EPREL needed for a laptop?

Laptops are not currently a labelled display group, but external monitors are. The ecodesign rules for computers apply separately.

What changed for smartphones in 2025?

Spare part availability for seven years, minimum update periods, battery endurance requirements and a repairability class shown on the energy label.