The European smartphone company emporia invests two million euros in implementing the EU Energy Label

Linz, Austria. The EU energy label - long familiar on washing machines and refrigerators - is now mandatory for smartphones. Since summer 2025, manufacturers must verify, label, and clearly communicate the energy efficiency and sustainability of their devices in order to sell them within the European Union.

“It was an unprecedented challenge,” says Eveline Pupeter, owner and managing director of the European smartphone specialist emporia. “The entire process cost us around two million euros - a significant investment for a medium-sized Austrian company.”

In addition to energy efficiency, the new EU label also evaluates a product’s durability and repairability, ranking each device from A (excellent) to G (poor). Each label features a QR code linking directly to a database with full product details.

Despite the extensive work involved in software development, hardware engineering, and product management, Pupeter believes the initiative is a positive milestone:

“We see this as an investment in the future - one that allows us to strengthen our position as a European manufacturer and compete fairly with producers from Asia and the USA.”

Transparency that benefits consumers

The new label gives consumers clear, comparable information at a glance - for example, how many charging cycles a battery can handle, how easily a smartphone can be repaired, and how resistant it is to water and dust.

For further information and comparisons, visit the official EU product database: https://eprel.ec.europa.eu