The EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) certificate price was set at €75.36 per ton of CO2 equivalent in April 2026 and is now fully operational. Exporters who fail to account for embedded carbon emissions will face rising costs at the border – or worse, goods held at customs.
New regulations taking effect:
Hot Water Heaters: New EU energy labeling and ecodesign rules being drafted, extending scope to new categories, introducing resource efficiency requirements, adding QR codes linked to EPREL database. Adoption targeted for Q4 2026.
Tumble Dryers, Range Hoods, Mobile Phones, Tablets: Switzerland revised its Energy Efficiency Ordinance aligning with EU law, effective July 1, 2026.
ErP Ecodesign Directive: Product-specific implementing measures updated 2024–2026. Older test reports are generally no longer accepted.
The hard reality: Full lifecycle carbon footprint traceability and digital product passports are no longer optional – they are entry tickets. SME exporters are struggling with incomplete upstream traceability, high certification costs, and inadequate carbon accounting systems.
Bottom line: The compliance paperwork that cleared your last shipment may already be obsolete. Exporters should act now – engage with notified bodies, reassess compliance roadmaps, and get ahead of the curve before the next container leaves the factory.
