Digital labels are coming to EU textiles. The revision of Regulation (EU) 1007/2011 changes what a label must say about fibres, and how. The Commission has not yet made its formal proposal, so nothing binds you yet. The sewn-in label you print today, in the language of the country of sale, is still the law.
Key takeaways
Under revision: Regulation (EU) 1007/2011 is being rewritten to carry sustainability information and to end the country-by-country add-ons.
Footwear is out: footwear labelling stays under the 1994 Footwear Labelling Directive, not this revision.
Digital labels: the ESPR passport carries more than a sewn-in label can; the revision is expected to say how physical and digital labels share the job.
New fields expected: origin, EU-wide sizing, care, allergens, leather and fur authenticity, flammability, organic origin and social responsibility are all under discussion.
EU textile labelling regulations at a glance
Three rules reach the label on a garment sold in the EU today, and a fourth is coming. Regulation (EU) 1007/2011 requires the fibre composition on a physical label, in the language of the country of sale. It covers any product that is at least 80% textile fibre. Loi AGEC adds origin, recycled content and hazardous-substance information for products sold in France. ESPR will add a Digital Product Passport for textiles, expected from 2027.
The revision is meant to bring these into one labelling rule that allows a digital label alongside, or instead of, the sewn-in one. It is one of the EU product rules in these guides.
The Commission's formal proposal is the next milestone; no date in this revision is binding yet.
What the revision sets out to change
Today the regulation covers products that are at least 80% textile fibre placed on the EU market. Traders show the fibre composition in the standard fibre names and say whether the product contains non-textile parts of animal origin.
The revision goes after three problems:
- One set of labelling rules for every EU country, so a label made for Germany does not need remaking for Italy.
- Lower cost, because the country-by-country label variants go.
- Information a consumer can compare: origin, materials, environmental impact, use and disposal.
What the revision changes: digital labels, fibre composition, sizing
The revision has not reached a formal proposal, so nothing below is final. Three areas are under active discussion: digital labels, the fiber-composition rules, and new categories such as sizing and origin.
Digital textile labels in the EU: the physical label may shrink to a code
Terms to know · Digital Label
A QR code or data carrier on a textile product linking to a digital page with full fibre composition, care instructions, and sustainability data, replacing or supplementing physical sewn-in labels.
ESPR will require a Digital Product Passport on textiles, and a passport holds more than a sewn-in label can carry. The Commission is working out how the two share the job: the physical label stays short and readable, the digital label behind a QR code carries the rest.
The physical label is meant to be read and compared at a glance. Symbols and codes would stand in where words do not fit, possibly with a dedicated sustainability or circularity mark.
Physical Label
Fibre composition, care symbols, origin, sizing, and QR code data carrier
Digital Label (DPP)
Full sustainability data, supply chain traceability, environmental impact, repair info, and more
The rules are being weighed for what a small business can manage, so the digital label is not expected to demand more than the passport already will.
New label categories the revision may add
Categories the revision is expected to add, none of them final:
Most of these fields already sit on the ESPR passport list: origin, care, materials, substances. Data collected for the passport is data for the label. The passport side is set out in Digital Product Passports for textiles.
What Regulation 1007/2011 requires today
Regulation (EU) 1007/2011 has applied since 2011 and asks for three things:
- Fibre composition, using the standard list of fibre names.
- A statement when the product contains non-textile parts of animal origin.
- Coverage of any product that is at least 80% textile fibre by weight.
Footwear is excluded. Its labelling sits under the 1994 Footwear Labelling Directive.
It does what it was written for, fibre disclosure, and nothing more: no sustainability data, no digital access, and a different add-on in every country that wanted one.
Fibre disclosure: what the label must state today
- Fibre composition only
- Animal origin disclosure
- Physical label required
- Country-by-country variations
Beyond fibre: what brands add voluntarily
- Extended material data
- Origin and traceability
- Physical + digital labels
- Harmonised EU-wide rules
- Sustainability and circularity
- Standardised sizing
Revision timeline and where it stands
Call for evidence
EU Commission issues a call for evidence on the revision
Public consultation
EU Commission runs a public consultation
Formal proposal expected
The Commission has not yet presented the formal proposal; no date is set.
Parliamentary review
Expected: EU Parliament and Council discuss and approve the proposal
Regulation enters into force
Expected: Revised regulation enters into force
Preparation period
Expected: 1-2 year preparation period for traders
Compliance deadline
Expected: Traders must adhere to the new requirements
Every date after the public consultation is an estimate. The Commission's formal proposal is the next fixed point; until it lands, plan on the current regulation and on ESPR.
What the revision means for your labels, season after season
The revised label will ask for more than fibre composition, and the ESPR passport will ask for it first. A brand that can fill the passport fields, composition, origin, care, materials and substances per style, can fill the new label from the same record.
- Fibre composition per style, in the standard fibre names, confirmed by the mill rather than copied from the tech pack.
- Origin of the main production steps, the field Loi AGEC already asks for in France and the revision is expected to ask for everywhere.
- Care, sizing and substances, held once, shown on the sewn-in label in short form and behind the QR code in full.
- A digital label that already exists: the passport page a customer scans is the digital label the revision describes.
The passports Tappr publishes carry these fields today, so the revision adds a format, not a data project. What that looks like on a garment is on the apparel page.
Textile labelling questions, answered
What is the EU Textile Labelling Regulation?
Does this apply to footwear?
When do I need to comply with the revision?
What will the label have to show after the revision?
How does this relate to ESPR?
Official sources
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