Fashion & Apparel DPP 2027
Textiles is the first industry the EU is targeting for mandatory Digital Product Passports. Here's what brands, retailers and manufacturers need to have in place before 2027.
Why textiles first?
The textile industry was selected as the first priority category for the EU Digital Product Passport because of its outsized environmental footprint, complex global supply chains, and historically poor traceability. The European Commission's delegated act for textiles is expected to apply from 2027.
Who's in scope
Any economic operator placing finished textile products on the EU market — including apparel, footwear, accessories, home textiles and many semi-finished products. This covers brands, importers and distributors, regardless of where the goods are manufactured.
What data is required
- Unique product identifier and trade item details.
- Fibre composition by weight, including recycled content.
- Country and facility of each major production stage.
- Presence of substances of concern (SCIP / REACH alignment).
- Care, repair and disassembly instructions.
- End-of-life routing: reuse, recycling, disposal guidance.
Practical implications
Every SKU will need a unique, scannable identifier on the product or its label — not just at the carton or barcode level. This means most brands will need to move from EAN-13 / GTIN-only labelling to GS1 Digital Link QR codes printed or woven at the unit level.
What to do this year
- Map the gap between your current PLM data and the expected DPP attributes.
- Lock down supplier data contracts — most gaps will be tier-2 and tier-3.
- Pilot unit-level QR labelling on one collection to test print, scan and resolver flows.
- Pick a DPP hosting and resolver partner that supports GS1 Digital Link out of the box.
Need help applying this to your products?
Our team helps brands move from compliance gap-analysis to live Digital Product Passports in weeks.
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