Shift Inclusive Design from compliance to a key strategic priority and you’ll reap the rewards

Inclusion is more than an organisational culture and compliance concern. It’s a growth, revenue and profitability one.

The European Accessibility Act (EAA)came into force in June 2025 across all 27 EU member states. It covers e-commerce, banking, transport and telecoms. It also applies to any business serving EU customers, wherever you're based. And the penalties for non-compliance can run up to €100,000 or 4% of annual revenue and product bans.

The EAA mandates accessibility for essential everyday products and digital services to ensure equal access for disabled and elderly citizens. It covers items like computers, smartphones, e-commerce websites, mobile apps, ATMs, and online banking. By harmonising these rules across member states, the act removes trade barriers for companies while ensuring digital platforms and hardware are fully navigable via screen readers, keyboards, and other assistive technologies.

Potential spending power of those the EAA is designed to benefit

But compliance is the floor, not the point. For example, over a billion people live with some form of disability, commanding trillions in spending power. Companies that prioritise accessible, inclusive design have reported retention gains of up to 35% in some markets.

Don’t use the EAA to only retrofit inclusivity into your products and services as that can be clunky and costly. Instead, embed inclusivity and accessibility into your core design process and business thinking.

Proactive Product and Service Accessibility Audits are a business essential. Our Product, Service & Brand Inclusivity Audit now cover EAA compliance. Get in touch and avoid steep fines or product bans. More importantly, we’ll embed inclusive design into all your business processes and put you on a path to more growth and higher profits.