ESPR
What Is a JRC Preparatory Study and How to Follow One
What a JRC preparatory study is: the tasks of the study before an ESPR delegated act, stakeholder consultation, data-point proposals and how to follow it
Under ESPR every delegated act is preceded by a technical study, and that study is mostly run by the Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC). The preparatory study draws the boundaries of the product group, examines the market and the technologies, measures environmental impacts and finally proposes policy options; the draft delegated act is written on top of that proposal. Its real value for data collection is this: the first list of data points that will go into the Digital Product Passport shows up here, a year or two before the delegated act.
Textiles showed how it works: the content proposal the JRC published in May 2026 is the basis of our article on textile DPP data points and contains around 126 candidate fields. The iron and steel and furniture studies are under way.
The tasks of the study
| Task | Question it answers | What is in it for you |
|---|---|---|
| Scope and definitions | Which products are in, under which codes | The first signal of whether your product is in or out |
| Market analysis | Sales volumes, import share, stock lifetime | Türkiye's weight in the EU market and the rationale |
| User behaviour | Use time, care, repair, disposal | The rationale for durability and repair fields |
| Technologies | Current and best techniques, improvement potential | Where the performance thresholds will be set |
| Environmental and economic assessment | Life cycle impacts, cost-benefit | Which indicators will be prominent in the passport |
| Policy options | Performance or information; which DPP fields | The first version of the data-point list |
Task reports are published as separate documents, usually in draft form, and revised after consultation. The final task is the most decisive for the shape of the delegated act; the data-point proposal sits there.
Where it is published and how to register
For each study the JRC opens a stakeholder platform: registered stakeholders see the task reports, the technical working documents and the calendar of consultation meetings; comments are submitted in writing within the set period. Registration is open to non-EU stakeholders too; an exporters' association or a manufacturer from Türkiye can take part directly. When the study is complete, its findings move to the Ecodesign Forum and into the draft delegated act; from there on it is the familiar sequence of the delegated-act process. Which product group comes next is set by the ESPR Working Plan.
The distance between proposal and rule
A preparatory study is a technical proposal; the Commission can narrow it, phase it or change it. The textile example is instructive: the candidate list holds 126 fields, yet the number of fields expected to be shown to consumers is far smaller, and some fields (carbon, water) have been left to a second phase. So read the interim lists not as "firm obligations" but as high-probability fields.
Our articles on steel DPP data fields and furniture DPP data fields and the JRC study read the steel and furniture studies with that eye. Once the draft is published, switch to the method in how to read a draft delegated act.
Turning the interim list into data collection
Waiting for the study's data-point proposal and then leaving it on the shelf until the delegated act is a waste of resources. The practical route:
- Split the proposed fields into three sets: what you already have, what can be obtained from suppliers, what is not measured at all.
- Structure the first set along the DPP data fields framework; this is the core that will be needed whichever delegated act arrives.
- Start the supplier data round for the second set now; that round alone takes three to nine months.
- Research measurement methods and costs for the third set; if a performance threshold arrives, a design change may follow.
- Track the fields added and removed in the study's next revision as a diff.
The standards side runs in parallel: the JRC decides which data will be asked for, while CEN/CENELEC JTC 24 decides how the data is carried. The standards guide helps you read the two together.
Frequently asked questions
Is a JRC preparatory study binding?
No. It is a technical proposal; the binding rule comes with the delegated act. But the content of the delegated act rests largely on that proposal.
Can I take part in a preparatory study from outside the EU?
Yes. Registration on the stakeholder platform is open to non-EU stakeholders, and comments are submitted in writing. Taking part through a sector association increases the impact.
Which data points did the textile study propose?
Around 126 candidate fields under identity, origin, fibre composition, chemicals, circularity and environmental indicators. The detail is in our textile data-points article.
