Big change is coming to wardrobes. From 2026, clothing sold in the European Union begins to carry a Digital Product Passport, a scannable record tying each item to hard data on materials, origin and care. At the same time, looser eco buzzwords face a legal clampdown, so labels will need facts, not fluff.
This shift is not happening in a vacuum. The Council of the EU adopted the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation in May 2024, and the European Commission says the passport will roll out first in priority sectors that include textiles starting in 2026. Add one more date in the rearview mirror, 1 January 2025, when EU countries must separately collect textile waste under the updated Waste Framework Directive. The reason is plain enough, the European Environment Agency reports that people in the EU consume about 14.8 kg of textiles per person each year and discard 5.8 kg, with less than 1 percent recycled back into new fibres.
2026 fashion rule in the EU: what actually changes
The headline is simple. Transparency moves from nice to have to built into the product. A passport will let brands store and share standardized information about a garment, accessible to shoppers, repairers and recyclers by scanning a code on the label.
The legal plumbing is already in place. The Ecodesign regulation creates the Digital Product Passport framework and allows the Commission to set detailed rules by product group, textiles among them, with the first requirements due from 2026 according to Commission briefings. In parallel, the European Parliament voted on 17 January 2024 to ban generic environmental claims like “eco-friendly” without evidence, and to stop claims about durability unless they can be proven. Member states will translate that law into national rules within about two years of entry into force, which puts real-world enforcement close to 2026.
For fashion, this means fewer vague tags and more comparable facts. Expect to see clear material composition, traceability data, care and repair instructions, and potentially durability or microfibre details where required by future acts. Green storytelling gets replaced by auditable information.
Digital Product Passport for clothes: how it works day to day
Think of a QR code stitched next to the care label. Scan it with a phone, up pops a product page showing where the fabric was made, where the item was sewn, the fibre mix, chemicals restrictions met, washing guidance and links to repair or resell.
That information is not just for shoppers. Sorters, rental platforms and recyclers can read it too. The Commission designed the passport so the right people see the right fields, which helps end of life decisions and resale authenticity checks. A resale listing for a jacket can pull data from the passport, and a recycler can route a polyester rich piece to the right stream.
For brands, this is a data project as much as a design project. Supply chain records need to match the item in hand. Legacy systems must accomodate product level IDs, and suppliers will be asked for more documentation than a simple delivery note.
Key dates and rules 2025 to 2026: what brands must prepare
Two clocks are ticking, one on waste and one on claims. As of 1 January 2025, EU countries must provide separate textile waste collection, which often comes with reporting expectations for producers. And by 2026, the first wave of passport obligations and green claim restrictions begins to bite across the single market.
Here is a quick prep list that avoids jargon and saves time:
- Map product data now, from fibre content to factory addresses, and link it to SKUs that can be turned into scannable codes.
- Audit labels and online pages for generic claims, replace them with measurable statements that can be backed by evidence.
- Add repair, care and resale guidance to product pages, since the passport will steer shoppers back to your ecosystem.
- Pilot a passport on one core line, learn the workflow with suppliers, then scale to seasonal collections.
What shoppers will notice: labels, prices, returns and resale
The experience changes at the rack. Labels get a code you can scan, and the language around sustainability turns concrete. No airy claims, more specifics like fibre percentages and factory locations. That follows the European Parliament’s January 2024 vote against unsubstantiated green claims and dubious durability statements.
Prices may nudge in either direction depending on the brand. Some will pass on compliance costs, others will use the passport to cut waste and returns, then keep prices steady. Better information tends to reduce mis buys. And return pages will evolve, with clearer care advice that prevents damage and boosts a second life.
The waste rule from 2025 also changes behavior around closets. With separate collection in place, municipalities and take back partners will channel unwanted garments more effectively. The European Environment Agency’s figures on consumption and discards show why this matters, and the passport helps sort the right pile for each item.
One last piece, timing. The Ecodesign regulation is in force, but the detailed textile rules are adopted through specific acts, which means brands should watch Commission calendars and stakeholder consultations through 2025. When those texts land, the passport fields for apparel become crystal clear, and the 2026 rule turns from a headline into an everyday scan at the label.