The EPREL “Gotchas” we’re Already Seeing (and How Teams are Fixing Them)

June’s label launch for smartphones/tablets seemed simple on slides. In real life, three things tripped teams most: verification, data readiness, and front‑end execution. Here’s how companies are dealing with each, and where regulators have already shown their teeth in other categories.

1. Verification first, or nothing moves

EPREL now requires verified suppliers (mandatory since 22 Oct 2024). Manufacturers are streamlining this process with qualified e-seals from EU trust-service providers. If your legal entity name or VAT number has changed in the last 12 months, start here; otherwise, your model uploads/edits will stall.

2. Data is the real bottleneck

The “new” label is data‑hungry: it surfaces energy class, battery endurance, repairability, and resistance claims. Brands are leaning on test labs (e.g., VDE) for repeatable measurements, then parking the outputs in PIM as first‑class attributes so labels and PDPs can be auto‑generated per model.

The official product page from the Commission is the canonical reference for what the label must show; share it with content, legal, and engineering.

3. Front‑end hiccups are common and visible

Coordinated sweeps (EEPLIANT3) found that most e‑shops checked had online labelling errors or missing Product Information Sheets; authorities issued bans, withdrawals, and fines. The lesson: treat label widgets like legal disclosures, not marketing badges. Bake size/color/placement rules into your components and add regression tests for PDP and cart.

Real‑world moves you can point to:

• Apple added energy/battery labels to EU iPhone/iPad pages on day one – useful to show business stakeholders what “good” looks like on a PDP.

• Public EPREL entries (e.g., Apple, Google, Fairphone) are gold for matching model IDs and sanity‑checking attributes. We routinely link these as authoritative references.

• For retailers new to energy labels, SEAI’s one‑pager explains the “where/how” of online display in plain English, great onboarding material for content ops.

Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland

Will there be fines for phones? Almost certainly, we’re only weeks in. Look at precedent: EEPLIANT3 reported 13 fines in air‑conditioners, 16 in light sources, 9 in tumble dryers, 7 in local space heaters, alongside bans and withdrawals. National penalty ceilings vary; some Member States list a maximum €25,000 per case, Germany cites up to €50,000 for energy‑labelling infringements. Don’t wait for the first smartphone test case to calibrate your risk.

Quick rollout plan (teams actually use this):

• Verify your supplier account. Since 22 Oct 2024, supplier verification in EPREL is mandatory; most legal entities will use a qualified electronic seal. Don’t skip this; unverified suppliers run into upload/edit roadblocks.
• Map data to label fields. In your PIM system, add attributes for: energy class (A–G), battery endurance (cycles & hours), drop resistance, IP rating, and the repairability score. Store the EPREL model ID and QR URL per SKU/variant to power online labels and PDP badges. The Commission’s smartphone/tablet page lists exactly what the label conveys; use it as your source of truth.
• Wire EPREL into publishing. Embed the image + QR on PDPs and ensure the nested display rules are respected (size, colors, proximity to price). SEAI’s retailer notice is a good operational crib sheet for web teams.
• Audit like an MSA. EEPLIANT projects repeatedly find missing/misaligned online labels and PIS files. Run a weekly crawl of your own site and marketplace listings to catch regressions before authorities (or competitors) do.

And keep an eye on your adjacent categories: tumble dryers rolled into a refreshed regime on 1 July 2025—a reminder that EPREL work is continuous, not a one‑and‑done sprint.

Final Word

EPREL “gotchas” aren’t mysteries; they’re process gaps. Verify the supplier, stabilize the data, harden the front end—then keep score with crawls and change logs. The first enforcement wave for phones will land somewhere; make sure it’s not your catalog in the screenshot.

Push suppliers for test evidence, store it where it lives forever (your PIM), and rehearse a monthly self‑audit like clockwork. Compliance is rarely glamorous, but the ROI is simple: fewer surprises, fewer fines, and fewer late‑night fixes.