Textiles and Apparel under ESPR and the Digital Product Passport
Textiles is a top-priority first Working Plan category, but no draft delegated act has been published or consulted on, and JRC preparatory studies are the only public material. Large apparel enterprises already face the Article 25 destruction ban on unsold goods from 19 July 2026, well before the DPP obligation.
Key dates for this sector
9 February 2026
Locked
Locked
Article 25 unsold-product rules finalized: derogations act Reg. (EU) 2026/296 and disclosure-format act Reg. (EU) 2026/2.
2026 to 2027
Signaled
Signaled
First category delegated acts expected, led by iron and steel, the only category to reach public consultation (20 May to 12 August 2026, now closed); the act is not adopted, and the Commission indicates adoption in Q4 2026. Textiles, tires, and aluminum follow, and dates beyond the consultation window are indicative.
Adoption planned Q4 2027
Signaled
Signaled
ESPR textiles delegated act: not adopted; the Commission plans adoption for Q4 2027; with ESPR Art. 4(4) allowing at least 18 months after entry into force, compliance is unlikely before mid-2029.
Expected DPP data requirements (not yet confirmed in an act):
- Item-level traceability and serialization
- Fiber composition and recycled fiber content
- Microplastics release potential
- Disassembly and recycling instructions
- Chemical substances of concern
Watch items
- The Article 25 destruction ban already applies to large enterprises for unsold apparel and footwear from 19 July 2026, as confirmed law preceding the DPP delegated act. Locked
- Delegated act: not adopted; the Commission plans adoption for Q4 2027 on its DPP timeline. With ESPR Art. 4(4) allowing at least 18 months after entry into force, indicative compliance is unlikely before mid-2029. Signaled
- The JRC May 2026 preparatory study proposes four DPP content categories (identification, producer information, product information, and compliance documentation) with role-based access for products at least 80% textile fiber by weight, subject to change before the delegated act is proposed. Signaled
What to do now
Large enterprises with unsold apparel inventory should verify Article 25 compliance. Separately, monitor the ESPR delegated act consultation and map item-level data flows and fiber content tracking to the four JRC categories.
Sources: COM(2025) 187: Working Plan · Reg. (EU) 2026/296: Article 25 Derogations · JRC: Study on DPP content for textile apparel products under ESPR (May 2026) · Verified 10 August 2026
Part of ESPR Atlas, the free ESPR and Digital Product Passport intelligence hub. Compare all nine categories on the Sectors in Scope page.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does ESPR apply to textiles and apparel?
Signaled: pre-draft, no draft act published. Key date: 2029 or later (estimated delegated act compliance). This timeline is signaled, not an adopted act; plan against date ranges rather than fixed deadlines.
What Digital Product Passport data will textiles and apparel require?
Expected DPP data requirements (not yet confirmed in an act): Item-level traceability and serialization; Fiber composition and recycled fiber content; Microplastics release potential; Disassembly and recycling instructions; Chemical substances of concern.
What should textile and apparel companies watch?
The Article 25 destruction ban already applies to large enterprises for unsold apparel and footwear from 19 July 2026, as confirmed law preceding the DPP delegated act. Delegated act: not adopted; the Commission plans adoption for Q4 2027 on its DPP timeline. With ESPR Art. 4(4) allowing at least 18 months after entry into force, indicative compliance is unlikely before mid-2029. The JRC May 2026 preparatory study proposes four DPP content categories (identification, producer information, product information, and compliance documentation) with role-based access for products at least 80% textile fiber by weight, subject to change before the delegated act is proposed.
What should textile and apparel companies do now?
Large enterprises with unsold apparel inventory should verify Article 25 compliance. Separately, monitor the ESPR delegated act consultation and map item-level data flows and fiber content tracking to the four JRC categories.