Physical Durability
Resistance to pilling, abrasion, seam strength, colour fastness, and dimensional stability after washing. These metrics indicate how long garments maintain quality under normal use.
EU ESPR 2024
Digital Product Passport for Textiles
The EU's Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) introduces Digital Product Passports to drive transparency across product lifecycles. For textile exporters, this means structured data on durability, repairability, recycled content, and environmental impacts.
Digital Product Passport
Cotton T-Shirt
100% Organic Cotton
Made in Turkey
30% Recycled Content
OEKO-TEX Certified
What Is the Digital Product Passport?
The Digital Product Passport (DPP) is a structured digital record that travels with a product throughout its lifecycle—making key information accessible to consumers, regulators, and supply chain partners.
The ESPR Framework
The Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR), adopted in 2024, establishes a framework to reduce environmental impacts across product lifecycles. Rather than setting requirements for all products at once, ESPR uses delegated acts to define specific rules for different product groups.
For each product group, delegated acts are expected to address:
- Durability and reliability — how long products last under normal use
- Reusability, repairability, upgradability — extending product lifespan
- Recycled content and recyclability — circularity considerations
- Information requirements — what data must accompany the product
The DPP operationalizes these information requirements—providing a standardized way to share product data via QR codes linked to digital records.
Which Textile Categories Are in Scope?
Based on the JRC preparatory study for textiles, the following apparel categories are expected to be covered by initial DPP requirements.
T-shirts
Shirts & Blouses
Sweaters & Mid-layers
Jackets & Coats
Pants & Shorts
Dresses, Skirts & Jumpsuits
Leggings, Stockings & Socks
Underwear
Swimwear
Textile Apparel Accessories
Gloves & Mittens
These categories align with the preparatory study scope. Final categories will be confirmed through the delegated acts process.
What Information Becomes Critical for Textiles?
The preparatory study identifies several groups of product aspects that are likely to shape DPP data requirements for textiles.
Maintenance
Care instructions, washing temperature limits, and guidance that helps consumers extend product lifespan through proper use and cleaning practices.
Repairability
Availability of repair services, spare parts, repair instructions, and design features that enable or facilitate repair rather than replacement.
Separability & Recycled Content
Material composition, fibre blend percentages, recycled content share, and whether components can be separated for recycling at end-of-life.
Environmental Impacts
Energy and water consumption during production, resource efficiency, carbon footprint indicators, and lifecycle environmental performance data.
Substances of Concern
Presence of regulated chemicals, REACH compliance status, and information about substances that may pose environmental or health risks.
Why Data Collection Is Challenging for Textiles
The textile value chain presents unique challenges for implementing information requirements.
Global, Fragmented Production
Raw materials, spinning, weaving, dyeing, cutting, and assembly often occur across multiple countries and suppliers, making traceability complex.
Many Small Actors
The textile sector includes a high proportion of microenterprises and SMEs, many without sophisticated data management systems.
Fast Fashion Dynamics
Short product cycles, frequent style changes, and price pressure have historically deprioritized durability and end-of-life considerations.
Consumer Behaviour Patterns
High purchase frequency, underutilization, and disposal patterns contribute to textile waste—issues that information transparency aims to address.
What Companies Should Do Now
A practical checklist for textile exporters preparing for DPP requirements.
1
Build a Product Data Inventory
- Material composition and fibre percentages
- Production process stages and locations
- Care and maintenance instructions
- Product weight, dimensions, and packaging
2
Collect Supplier Data
- Map your supply chain actors and tiers
- Request material certifications and test reports
- Verify recycled content claims with documentation
- Identify substances of concern in your chain
3
Structure Data by Theme
- Organize data around durability metrics
- Document repairability features and services
- Calculate recycled content percentages
- Prepare environmental impact indicators
4
Prepare Audit-Ready Outputs
- Create standardized product data sheets
- Maintain version control for data updates
- Store supporting evidence and certificates
- Enable easy export for buyer or regulator requests
How Epassportify Supports Your Preparation
A simple workflow to structure product data, generate DPP pages, and stay ready as requirements evolve.
1
Upload Product & Supply Chain Data
Enter your product information, material composition, supplier details, and supporting documentation into epassportify's structured data model.
2
Structure, Validate & Generate
Epassportify organizes your data, validates completeness, and generates a public DPP page with GS1 Digital Link QR codes for each product.
3
Export & Integrate
Export audit-ready documentation, share DPP links with buyers, and integrate with external systems or portals as requirements develop.
Why Start Preparing Now?
Early preparation offers practical business advantages—independent of final regulatory timelines.
Spread Data Collection Costs
Gathering supplier data and certifications takes time. Starting now avoids last-minute scrambles and associated costs.
Align Suppliers Early
Engaging suppliers before requirements are mandatory builds cooperation and allows time to fill data gaps.
Respond Faster to Buyer Requests
EU buyers increasingly ask for transparency data. Having structured information ready accelerates sales conversations.
Build Adaptation Capability
A structured data foundation makes it easier to adjust outputs as delegated acts finalize specific requirements.
Demonstrate Commitment
Proactive preparation signals sustainability commitment to partners, buyers, and end consumers.
Reduce Compliance Risk
Understanding your data gaps now gives time to address issues before they affect market access.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Digital Product Passports for textiles.
What is a Digital Product Passport (DPP)?
A Digital Product Passport is a structured digital record containing key information about a product—such as materials, origin, durability, repairability, and environmental impact. It's typically accessed via a QR code and is designed to travel with the product throughout its lifecycle.
Which textile categories are expected to be covered?
Based on the JRC preparatory study, initial scope includes: T-shirts, shirts/blouses, sweaters/mid-layers, jackets/coats, pants/shorts, dresses/skirts/jumpsuits, leggings/stockings/socks, underwear, swimwear, textile apparel accessories, and gloves/mittens. Final categories will be confirmed through delegated acts.
What information will textiles DPPs likely require?
Expected information themes include: physical durability metrics, maintenance/care instructions, repairability features, material composition and recycled content, environmental impact indicators, and substances of concern. Specific requirements will be defined in delegated acts.
When do DPP requirements take effect for textiles?
Specific timelines will be established through delegated acts for textiles, which are currently in preparation. ESPR was adopted in 2024, and delegated acts for priority product groups are expected in the coming years. Companies are advised to begin preparation now to be ready when requirements finalize.
How does durability relate to DPP requirements?
Durability is a key product aspect under ESPR. For textiles, this may include metrics like resistance to pilling, abrasion resistance, seam strength, colour fastness, and dimensional stability. These metrics help consumers and buyers understand expected product lifespan.
What about recycled content requirements?
Recycled content is expected to be a key information requirement. Companies will likely need to document the percentage of recycled fibres, distinguish between pre-consumer and post-consumer recycled content, and provide supporting verification or certification.
How should companies start preparing?
Start by inventorying your product data: material composition, supplier information, care instructions, and any certifications. Map your supply chain to identify data gaps. Structure data around the expected themes (durability, repairability, recycled content, SoC) and consider tools that help maintain audit-ready outputs.
What is epassportify?
Epassportify is a Digital Product Passport platform designed for textile SMEs. It helps companies structure product data, generate GS1 Digital Link QR codes, and publish mobile-first DPP pages—so you're ready as EU requirements evolve.
Ready to test epassportify with a pilot product line?
Join the pilot for early access, onboarding support, and direct input on feature development.
Requirements evolve—structured data keeps you upgrade-ready.