Fashion & Apparel
Digital Product Passport for Fashion & Textiles
Clothing is the first finished product the EU is writing passport rules for. This guide covers what a textile passport is, when it becomes mandatory, what goes in it, and how brands and factories split the work.
Written by the DPPLive Team · Last updated: 9 November 2026
Short answer: A digital product passport for fashion is a product-level data record, opened through a data carrier such as a QR code on the garment or label, that holds information on the product's materials, origin, substances, care and end of life. The EU requires it through ESPR (Regulation (EU) 2024/1781) once the apparel delegated act applies; the act is expected in 2027, and its rules apply no earlier than 18 months after it enters into force. The legal duty sits with the brand or importer that places the garment on the EU market; most of the data comes from the factories and mills that make it.
| Detail | |
|---|---|
| Legal basis | ESPR, Regulation (EU) 2024/1781, Articles 9–14 |
| Status for clothing | Priority group in the 2025–2030 Working Plan; apparel delegated act expected 2027 |
| Draft scope | Apparel, including clothing accessories (JRC preparatory work); footwear to be reconsidered at the Working Plan's mid-term review |
| Earliest obligations | No earlier than 18 months after the delegated act enters into force (Art. 4(4)), so not before 2028–2029 |
| Data carrier | Physical carrier, such as a QR code, linked to a unique product identifier (Art. 10) |
| Registry | EU DPP registry live since 20 July 2026; the brand or importer registers the passport |
| Granularity | Model, batch or item — set by the delegated act |
| Who supplies the data | Factories, mills and dye houses: fibre composition, origin, chemicals, care, production site |
Contents
What Goes Into a Textile Passport
The final field list will come with the delegated act. Based on ESPR's information requirements (Art. 7) and the Commission's preparatory work, a garment passport is expected to cover:
- product identity: unique identifier, model or batch, manufacturer and production facility;
- materials: exact fibre composition and certified recycled content;
- origin: where the fabric, yarn and garment were made;
- substances of concern above set thresholds (Art. 7(5));
- care, repair and durability information;
- end-of-life and recycling guidance, and possibly an environmental footprint.
DPPLive's working list has 83 fields; see textile DPP data fields.
Roles
Brand, Factory and Provider: Who Does What
| Role | What they do |
|---|---|
| Brand or importer | Legally responsible for placing the garment on the EU market with a valid passport; registers it in the EU registry |
| Garment factory | Holds most of the data: style specs, fibre, origin, chemicals, care, production site; supplies it per style or batch |
| Mills and dye houses | Fabric composition, certificates, chemical declarations |
| DPP service provider | Hosts the passport, keeps it available, and connects the data carrier to the record |
The bottleneck is supplier data. Most brands already hold the label information; what they lack is verified data from Tier-1 and Tier-2 suppliers. That is why DPPLive is built from the factory side.
Common Myths
What a Fashion DPP Is Not
- Not just a QR code. The QR code is only the carrier; the passport is the data behind it. See Is a DPP just a QR code?
- Not tied to GS1. ESPR needs a unique identifier that meets its standards (Art. 10 and Annex III); a GS1 GTIN with GS1 Digital Link is one common option, not the only one. See Do you need a GS1 GTIN?
- Not a certificate of compliance. A passport carries data; it does not certify that a product meets every EU law.
- Not only for EU brands. Any garment placed on the EU market will need one once the rules apply, wherever it was made.
Getting Ready
How Fashion Brands and Suppliers Prepare Now
- Agree with key suppliers which data they will provide, in what format, per style.
- Start with one style and one factory, end to end, before scaling. See how to create a garment DPP.
- Decide early between model, batch and item level. See model vs batch vs item.
- Pick a provider against clear criteria. See how to choose a DPP provider.
DPP for Fashion & Textiles FAQ
Quick Answers
Is the digital product passport mandatory for clothing?
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It will be, once the EU apparel delegated act under ESPR applies. The act is expected in 2027, and its rules apply no earlier than 18 months after it enters into force.
When will fashion brands need a DPP?
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Not before 2028–2029 for clothing, based on a delegated act expected in 2027 and the minimum 18-month period in ESPR Article 4(4). The exact date will be set in the act.
What data does a textile DPP contain?
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Expected content includes a unique product identifier, fibre composition, recycled content, origin, substances of concern, care and repair information and end-of-life guidance. The final list comes with the delegated act.
Who creates the DPP: the brand or the factory?
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The brand or importer is legally responsible and registers the passport. The factory, mills and dye houses supply most of the data, and a DPP service provider usually hosts it.
Does a textile DPP need a GS1 barcode?
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Not necessarily. ESPR requires a unique product identifier that meets its standards. A GS1 GTIN with GS1 Digital Link is one common option, not the only one.
Keep Reading
Go Deeper
The passport explained from first principles.
The EU law behind the passport.
Complete supplier DPP data.
Open a real garment passport.
Sources & official references
- Regulation (EU) 2024/1781 (ESPR) — full text on EUR-Lex — Articles 4, 7, 9–14
- European Commission — Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation
- JRC — textiles preparatory study, 3rd milestone (January 2026) — scope: apparel incl. clothing accessories
DPPLive’s Take
The Data Lives at the Factory
A brand can buy passport software in a week. It cannot buy its suppliers' data. DPPLive lets the factory publish that data once, per style, and share it with every buyer — free for up to 10 passports a month.