Microplastics and the Digital Product Passport: What Textile Brands Must Document

Synthetic textile fibres shed microplastics during washing. The EU has identified this as a significant source of environmental microplastic pollution, and the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) requires textile Digital Product Passports to include microplastics information. This article explains what that means in practice and how to complete this field accurately.

Why Microplastics Appear in the DPP

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) and the European Commission have identified synthetic textile washing as one of the largest sources of microplastic release into waterways. When polyester, nylon, acrylic, or polyamide fabrics are washed, they shed microscopic fibres — some as small as 1 micrometre — that pass through wastewater treatment plants and enter freshwater and marine ecosystems.

The ESPR's Digital Product Passport is designed to make this information transparent at product level. Rather than industry-level statistics, each product must carry its own microplastics disclosure — giving consumers, retailers, and regulators item-specific information.

Which Products Are Affected

Microplastics documentation in the DPP is primarily relevant for products that contain synthetic fibres:

• High relevance: Polyester, nylon/polyamide, acrylic, and polypropylene-based fabrics — including fleece, activewear, swimwear, and fast-fashion basics
• Medium relevance: Blended fabrics containing synthetic fibres alongside natural fibres (e.g., 60% cotton / 40% polyester)
• Lower relevance: 100% natural fibre products (cotton, wool, linen, silk) — though even natural fibres can carry relevant treatment coatings

If your product contains any synthetic fibre component, the microplastics information field in the DPP should be completed, not left blank.

What the DPP Microplastics Field Requires

In epassportify's product wizard (Step 4 — Compliance & Care), the Microplastics Information field is a text field where you document the product's microplastics profile. Depending on your testing capability and the product, this can include:

Option 1: Quantified Shedding Data

If your fabric has been tested under EN ISO 4484-1 or EN ISO 4484-2 (the emerging European microfibre shedding test standards), you can enter the shedding rate:

Example: "Microfibre shedding tested per EN ISO 4484-1: 0.012% fibre mass released per wash cycle."

Quantified data is the most rigorous and will likely become the expected standard as ESPR implementing regulations are finalised.

Option 2: Qualitative Disclosure

Until quantified testing becomes mandatory, brands can provide a qualitative disclosure that acknowledges the synthetic content and references the material composition:

Example: "This product contains 100% polyester. Synthetic textile fibres can shed microplastics during washing. Use a wash bag designed to capture synthetic microfibres and wash at 30°C or below to reduce shedding."

Option 3: No Synthetic Content

For 100% natural fibre products:

Example: "This product contains no synthetic fibres. No microplastic fibre shedding during washing."

Connecting Microplastics to Material Composition

The microplastics field does not stand alone — it should be consistent with the material composition entered in Step 2. If you have entered 100% Polyester in the materials section, a microplastics field that says "no synthetic content" would be contradictory and could constitute a misleading claim under ESPR's anti-greenwashing provisions.

epassportify displays both the material composition (with recycled/renewable flags) and the microplastics information on the public DPP page. Auditors and retail buyers can cross-reference both sections instantly upon scanning the QR code.

Care Instructions as a Mitigation Measure

The DPP's Care Instructions field (also in Step 4) is directly linked to microplastics reduction. Washing at lower temperatures, using shorter cycles, and recommending wash bags that filter microfibres are all recognised mitigation measures. Brands can reference these in the care instructions field:

Example: "Machine wash cold (30°C), short cycle. Use a microfibre filter wash bag to reduce synthetic fibre release."

This links the product's microplastics disclosure to a concrete consumer action — which regulators view positively as responsible product stewardship.

Variants with Different Synthetic Content

If your brand produces the same garment design in both a synthetic and a natural fibre version (for example, a 100% polyester base layer and a 100% merino wool base layer), each version should have its own DPP variant with an accurate microplastics field. The variant system in epassportify allows this without creating duplicate product records.

Practical Steps for Textile Brands

1. Identify all products in your range that contain synthetic fibres — reference your material composition data in epassportify's Materials step.
2. Decide whether you will provide quantified test data or a qualitative disclosure based on your current testing capability.
3. Draft a consistent microplastics information statement that aligns with your material composition entries.
4. Enter this statement in the Microplastics Information field in Step 4 for each relevant product or variant.
5. Cross-reference with the Care Instructions field to include washing guidance that reduces shedding.

Conclusion

Microplastics documentation is not optional for synthetic textile products under ESPR. The good news is that the data required — fibre type, shedding disclosure, care guidance — is directly derived from information brands already hold: material composition and care label content. Entering this accurately into epassportify's Microplastics Information field converts existing product knowledge into a verifiable, machine-readable DPP data point ready for EU compliance.