For several years, the executive acts related to the Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council 2009/125/EC of 21 October 2009 establishing a framework for the setting of ecodesign requirements for energy-related products are systematically adopted as a part of European Union legislation. Especially the Regulation 666/2013 concerning the eco-design requirements for vacuum cleaners introduced in July 2013 is strongly discussed. This article presents the background to the Directive 2009/125/EC and explains the concept that underlies the formulation of ecodesign requirements for different powered energy products, with special focus on the role of environmental life cycle assessment (LCA).