The New EU Energy Label for Mobile Devices: What Brands and Resellers Need to Know

Starting June 20, 2025, the European Union has enforced a new mandatory energy label for smartphones and tablets running on Android or iPadOS. This regulation marks a significant step in the EU’s ongoing effort to promote greater sustainability and transparency within the electronics industry.

Whether you’re a brand producing mobile devices or a reseller offering them to end users, it’s crucial to understand what this regulation means for your business and how Icecat supports your compliance and readiness.

What’s New in the EU Energy Label?

Unlike previous energy labels, which focused mainly on energy consumption, the new EU energy label for mobile devices introduces a broader product sustainability evaluation.

Devices will now be rated based on:

• Energy efficiency
• Battery longevity
• Durability (including drop resistance)
• Repairability (availability of spare parts, ease of disassembly)
• Software support and updates

This is the first time mobile phones and tablets will be compared on these environmental and long-term usability criteria in a standardized, EU-regulated way.

Why is This Important?

The new EU energy label is designed to meet both regulatory requirements and evolving market expectations. By providing more transparent and more accessible product information, it helps consumers make better-informed choices. At the same time, it reinforces compliance across the supply chain, from manufacturers to retailers, while supporting broader environmental goals like those outlined in the EU Green Deal. In a competitive landscape, companies that invest in sustainable, durable, and repairable products also stand to strengthen their brand image and build more transparent relationships with their partners and customers.

What Brands Need to Do

Icecat is already working closely with sponsor brands to integrate these new data fields into our product content ecosystem.

If you’re a brand, here’s how to stay ahead: submit your product’s EU energy label data (if you haven’t already). Work with your Icecat contact to ensure the correct mapping and publishing of this data.

What Resellers Can Do

If you’re a reseller using Icecat content, you now have access to the new energy label information for many smartphone and tablet models. This data is ready for integration into your systems.

You can retrieve this data:

• Manually, via the Icecat PIM interface
• Automatically, via our API for real-time updates

This means your product pages can now include the official energy labels and related values, boosting consumer trust and regulatory compliance.

How Does Icecat Support the Transition?

At Icecat, our mission is to ensure the smooth, standardized flow of high-quality product information across the supply chain. We’ve:

• Added support for the new EU energy label attributes in our data model
• Published updated content for many sponsor brands already
• Made this data available to all resellers using our platform
• Built tools and guidance to help both brands and retail partners stay compliant

If you have questions or need help integrating the new label data, contact your Icecat representative. We’re here to help!