EPREL Database: The EU Energy Label Registry and Its Link to the DPP
What is the EPREL database? The European Product Registry for Energy Labelling explained: registration obligation, products in scope, the EPREL number, the QR code on the energy label and its link to the Digital Product Passport.
EPREL Database: The EU Energy Label Registry and Its Link to the DPP
Key takeaways
EPREL stands for the European Product Registry for Energy Labelling. It is a database run by the European Commission in which manufacturers, importers and authorised representatives must register every product that carries an EU energy label before placing it on the EU market. EPREL has a public part, where consumers can view energy labels and product information sheets, and a compliance part reserved for market surveillance authorities. Since the rescaled energy labels (A to G) came into use, every label carries a QR code that links directly to the product’s public EPREL page. This exact principle, making data accessible at the product through a QR code, is the operational blueprint for the Digital Product Passport (DPP).
This article explains what EPREL is, which products must be registered, how registration works and how EPREL relates to the Digital Product Passport. If you want to understand the fundamentals of the DPP first, we recommend the introductory article Digital Product Passport in 15 Minutes.
What is the EPREL database?
The EPREL database is the central European registry for all products subject to EU energy labelling. Its legal basis is Regulation (EU) 2017/1369 setting a framework for energy labelling. Article 12 of that regulation requires the Commission to establish and operate a product database. EPREL has been operational since 1 January 2019.
The idea is simple: before an energy-related product is placed on the EU market, the supplier must register it in EPREL. This puts the energy labels and the associated technical data in one central place, rather than scattered across individual manufacturers. Consumers get transparent, comparable information, and authorities can check compliance more easily.
An important point: EPREL is not a voluntary marketing database but a legal obligation. Selling products that require registration without an EPREL entry breaches EU law and risks enforcement action by market surveillance authorities.
Why the EU introduced EPREL
EPREL serves several purposes at once and is a central building block of European energy and climate policy:
- Transparency for consumers: Buyers can compare the energy efficiency of products before purchase and make informed decisions.
- Effective market surveillance: Authorities access technical documentation directly through the compliance part and can uncover false efficiency claims faster.
- Enforcement of energy label rules: Without a central registry it would be almost impossible to check whether millions of products are labelled correctly.
- A data basis for policy: Aggregated data helps the EU develop efficiency standards and measure the impact of its measures.
In this, EPREL pursues the same overarching goal as the ESPR regulation and the Digital Product Passport: more transparency about products and a reliable, machine-readable data basis for sustainable decisions.
Which products must be registered in EPREL?
Registration is required for every product group that has an EU energy label. The scope is expanding step by step. It currently includes, among others:
- refrigerators and freezers
- washing machines and washer-dryers
- dishwashers
- electronic displays and televisions
- light sources and lamps
- air conditioners and ventilation units
- space heaters and water heaters
- commercial refrigeration
- tyres (under Regulation (EU) 2020/740, in EPREL since May 2021)
- smartphones and tablets (new energy label from 20 June 2025)
The special case of tyres shows how broad EPREL is: the tyre label, with its data on rolling resistance, wet grip and external rolling noise, also runs through EPREL. The public database has a dedicated section for searching tyres.
Products without an energy label are not affected. Whether a specific product must be registered always follows from the relevant delegated act for that product group.
The public and the closed part of the database
EPREL consists of two parts with different access:
The public part
Through the public portal (eprel.ec.europa.eu), consumers, retailers and anyone interested can search for products. The energy label, the product information sheet and basic model information are visible. This public product page is exactly where the QR code on the energy label leads. The public data is also available through an open API.
The closed part
The closed, so-called compliance part contains the full technical documentation and is accessible only to the market surveillance authorities of the member states and the European Commission. Here suppliers file the evidence used to check efficiency claims, which is not intended for the public.
Suppliers themselves access the system through a login with an EU Login account. Through this manufacturer access, new models are created, maintained and, if necessary, withdrawn.
EPREL registration: how it works
Registering a model follows a fixed sequence. Anyone with a large portfolio should set the process up cleanly on the data side from the start.
1. Set up EU Login and access
The prerequisite is an EU Login account, through which the supplier gains access to the EPREL manufacturer area. The company details and the role (manufacturer, importer or authorised representative) are recorded.
2. Create the model and enter data
For each model, the model identifier, the energy label, the product information sheet and the technical documentation are uploaded. The required data fields follow from the delegated act for the product group in question.
3. Receive the EPREL number
After successful registration, the system assigns a unique EPREL registration number (often called the EPREL number or EPREL ID). It identifies the model in the registry and links the QR code on the label to the product page.
4. Bulk registration via the Fast Lane
For companies with large ranges, EPREL offers a machine-readable interface, the so-called Fast Lane, or an API. This allows many models to be transferred automatically, instead of entering each product by hand. The prerequisite is structured, correctly formatted product data from your own system.
This is exactly where clean data management pays off: if you maintain your product data in a structured system, you can use it both for EPREL and for the Digital Product Passport. A platform such as myDPP helps you provide product data in a structured, machine-readable way.
The QR code on the energy label and its link to the DPP
Since the switch to the rescaled energy labels, these carry a QR code in the top right corner. When a consumer scans this code, they land directly on the product’s public EPREL page with the official label and the product information sheet. The first product groups switched to the new labels in March 2021, with others following step by step.
This model, a data carrier at the product that points to a central digital product page, is exactly the principle the Digital Product Passport extends to all product information. While today’s EPREL QR code is limited to energy efficiency data, the DPP data carrier will point to a comprehensive product profile. If you want to explore how 2D codes work, you will find details in the article GS1 QR Code: The 2D Code Replaces the Barcode.
EPREL and the Digital Product Passport: similarities and differences
EPREL and the DPP are often confused, but they are not the same thing. The table below sets out the key points.
| Feature | EPREL | Digital Product Passport (DPP) |
|---|---|---|
| Legal basis | Regulation (EU) 2017/1369 | ESPR, Regulation (EU) 2024/1781 |
| Scope | products with an energy label | almost all product categories |
| Data covered | energy efficiency, product information sheet | durability, reparability, recycled content, substances, carbon footprint and more |
| Access | QR code on the energy label | data carrier at the product (QR / GS1 Digital Link) |
| Status | operational since 2019 | phased roll-out from 2027 |
The key point: EPREL is not a predecessor that the DPP will replace, but proof that a central, QR-based product registry works at European scale. For energy-related products, EPREL and the DPP are expected to run side by side, which makes consistent product data from a single source all the more important. To see what a DPP actually looks like, read the article Digital Product Passport: Example.
What companies should do now
1. Check the registration obligation
For each product, establish whether it falls under energy labelling and therefore has to be registered in EPREL. The relevant delegated act for the product group is decisive.
2. Structure your product data
Capture model identifiers, technical data and product information sheets in a structured, machine-readable form. The same data sources (ERP, PIM) later feed the Digital Product Passport too.
3. Prepare for the Fast Lane
For large ranges, automated transfer through the EPREL interface is worthwhile. This requires the data to be clean and in the required format.
4. Manage EPREL numbers
Document the EPREL registration numbers for your models and link them to your internal product identifiers, so that label, QR code and database entry always match.
5. Prepare for the DPP
Use EPREL registration as an entry point into a comprehensive data strategy. Anyone who maintains energy and product data in a structured way today has a head start with the Digital Product Passport. The DPP implementation checklist and the complete list of DPP data requirements help you proceed in a structured way.
Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
What is the EPREL database in simple terms?
EPREL is the European product registry for energy labelling. Manufacturers, importers and authorised representatives must register all products with an EU energy label there before placing them on the market. In the public part, consumers can view energy labels and product information sheets.
Which products must be registered in EPREL?
All product groups with an EU energy label, such as refrigerators, washing machines, dishwashers, displays, lamps, heaters and tyres, and since June 2025 also smartphones and tablets. The relevant delegated act is decisive.
What is an EPREL number?
The EPREL number, also called the EPREL registration number or EPREL ID, is a unique identifier that the system assigns when a model is registered. It links the product, its energy label and the QR code to the database entry.
What is the difference between EPREL and the Digital Product Passport?
EPREL is limited to products with an energy label and their energy efficiency data, and has been operational since 2019. The Digital Product Passport covers almost all product categories and a far broader range of data (durability, reparability, materials, carbon footprint). Both use a QR code at the product as the point of access.
Read more
- Digital Product Passport in 15 Minutes: What DPP Is and Why the EU Introduces It
- ESPR Regulation: Ecodesign Requirements for Sustainable Products
- GS1 QR Code: The 2D Code Replaces the Barcode
- Digital Product Passport: Example
- How to Implement the DPP: The Checklist