Digital product passport for textiles: timeline and content

As of 11 November 2026 · sourced from primary law · not legal advice · Auf Deutsch lesen

This English version was prepared with AI from the German page. No native speaker or lawyer has read it. Found a mistake? Write to office@proofpass.eu.

Legal basis: the Ecodesign Regulation

The ESPR has been in force since 18 July 2024. It names “textiles, in particular garments and footwear” as a priority for the first working plan (Art. 18(5)(c)). A product may only be placed on the market with a passport once a delegated act requires one (Art. 9(1)). For textiles that act does not exist yet. On 11 November 2026 we found no act under Article 4 for any product group on EUR-Lex.

The working plan COM(2025) 187 of 16 April 2025 includes textiles and apparel, not footwear. For footwear the Commission is commissioning a study, to be completed by the end of 2027. The basics of the passport are in the guide Digital product passport: deadlines and product groups, all industries at a glance under Product passport by industry.

Timeline with status

The year in the working plan is the provisional year of adoption, not the start of the duty. The plan is a Commission communication, not law.

Step	Date	Status	Provision
ESPR in force	18 July 2024	binding	Art. 80 Regulation (EU) 2024/1781
Ban on destroying unsold apparel, large enterprises	19 July 2026	binding	Art. 25(1), Annex VII ESPR
Commission’s digital product passport registry (deadline)	19 July 2026	binding	Art. 13(1) ESPR, Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/1778
Delegated act for textiles and apparel	2027	indicative	COM(2025) 187
Passport duty for textiles	as a rule no earlier than 18 months after the act enters into force	planned	Art. 4(4) ESPR
Ban on destruction, medium-sized enterprises	19 July 2030	binding	Art. 25(1) ESPR

Which data is fixed

For textiles, none yet. The act selects from the list in Annex III ESPR what must or may go in. That list includes the unique product identifier, the GTIN or an equivalent identifier, commodity codes, compliance documentation, instructions for use and safety information, details of the manufacturer and the importer, and the service provider holding the back-up copy.

The working plan says the ESPR information requirements for textiles will “work in synergy with the Textile Labelling Regulation, currently under review”. Already today you have to label or mark the fibre composition (Art. 14(1) Regulation (EU) No 1007/2011). Which data on materials, durability or recycling is added will only be set in the act.

What you can do today

Check whether the ban on destruction applies to you: since 19 July 2026 for large enterprises, from 19 July 2030 for medium-sized ones. Micro and small enterprises are exempt.
Keep fibre composition, care information and suppliers per model in a table, not only on the label.
Assign a GTIN to each model where you have one. Annex III lists the GTIN as a possible identifier.
Give each model a permanent address that a later QR code can carry.
Watch the Official Journal. Only the act sets the date.

How ProofPass helps

The product passport module gives every model a permanent address and a QR code. Documents such as the declaration of conformity or care instructions are stored with versions. The textile deadlines are in the deadline tracker. Which groups the working plan covers is answered on the page ESPR working plan: which product groups?.

Frequently asked questions

Does the textile passport also cover footwear?

Not in the first step under the working plan COM(2025) 187. Footwear is not included there; the Commission is having a study prepared by the end of 2027. Art. 18(5)(c) ESPR does name footwear among the priority groups.

Does a small fashion label have to do anything today?

Not for the passport, because the act is missing. The ban on destroying unsold apparel under Art. 25(1) ESPR does not apply to micro and small enterprises. Fibre labelling under Art. 14 Regulation (EU) No 1007/2011 applies to everyone.

Is the passport required per garment or per model?

The act decides. Art. 9(2)(d) ESPR allows the model, batch or item level.

What does “adoption 2027” mean for my planning?

That the Commission provisionally intends to adopt the act in 2027. Under Art. 4(4) ESPR it applies as a rule no earlier than 18 months after entry into force. Arithmetically the duty is therefore not before mid-2028, barring a justified exception.

As of 11 November 2026. The legal text in force prevails. This page is not legal advice; sources are given above.

Digital product passport for textiles: when does it apply and what goes in?