A textile guide to the ESPR: what it means for your products and your data
Anton Luiken
Co-Founder / Senior Textile Expert
The Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) is the EU's new rulebook for how physical products are designed, documented and placed on the market. For textiles and apparel it is no longer a distant policy topic: the product group is first in line, and the requirements will reach every brand, manufacturer and importer selling in the EU. This guide explains what the ESPR is, what it can require from a textile product, and what you can do with your data today.
Textiles delegated actExpected Q4 2027Followed by an 18 month implementation period, with requirements applying from around 2029
From energy labels to all physical products
The ESPR replaces the Ecodesign Directive 2009/125/EC. That directive focused on energy-related products such as boilers and household appliances. The ESPR, Regulation (EU) 2024/1781, entered into force on 18 July 2024 and widens the scope to almost every physical product on the EU market.
Three points matter most for textile companies:
•It applies to products manufactured outside the EU as well, so global supply chains are in scope.
•It covers the whole value chain: brands, manufacturers, importers, distributors and retailers.
•The regulation is a framework. The concrete requirements for each product group follow later, in delegated acts.
Why textiles are first in line
In April 2025 the European Commission published its first ESPR Working Plan. It sets out which product groups get requirements first, based on market size, environmental impact and potential for improvement. Textiles and apparel came out on top.
Product groupFocus of the requirementsIndicative adoption
Textiles & apparelLonger product life and material efficiency; lower impact on water, waste, climate and energy. Aligned with the revision of the Textile Labelling Regulation.2027
TyresRecyclability, recycled content and end-of-life management.2027
FurnitureResource use and the impact of material production and supply.2028
MattressesWaste generation, lifetime extension and material efficiency.2029
Footwear was taken out of the textiles group because of its more complex design and supply chains. A separate study will reassess it by the end of 2027.
What the ESPR can require from a textile product
The delegated act for textiles will set performance and information requirements. Based on the regulation, these can cover:
•Durability: how long a garment or textile product lasts in use.
•Reparability and reusability: how easily a product can be repaired, reused or resold.
•Recycled content and recyclability: minimum shares of recycled fibre and design for recycling.
•Resource and energy efficiency: the materials, water and energy used in production.
•Substances of concern: chemicals that hinder reuse or recycling, aligned with REACH.
•Environmental footprint: information on the product's impact across its life cycle.
The last point is where life cycle assessment (LCA) comes in. Footprint information has to be calculated per product, with a consistent method and traceable data.
The ban on destroying unsold textiles
The ESPR also bans the destruction of unsold apparel, clothing accessories and footwear:
•From 19 July 2026 for large companies.
•From 19 July 2030 for medium-sized companies. Micro and small companies are exempt.
•Large companies must disclose each year how many unsold products they discarded, and why.
Digital Product Passports: where your impact data lives
Every regulated product will carry a Digital Product Passport (DPP): a digital record linked to the product through a data carrier such as a QR code. For textiles, a DPP is expected to hold information such as:
•Fibre composition and origin of materials
•Supply chain steps: where spinning, weaving or knitting, dyeing, finishing and manufacturing took place
•Environmental footprint indicators
•Care, repair and reuse instructions
•End-of-life and recycling information
The DPP turns environmental data from a report into a product attribute. That means you need impact figures for every product you sell, not only for a few flagship items.
Key dates for textile companies
DateMilestone
18 July 2024ESPR enters into force
16 April 2025First ESPR Working Plan published, textiles prioritised
19 July 2026Ban on destroying unsold apparel and footwear applies to large companies
Q4 2027Delegated act for textiles and apparel expected
Around 2029Textile requirements apply after the 18 month implementation period
19 July 2030Destruction ban extends to medium-sized companies
How to prepare now
1.Map your product data. List materials, fibre origin, suppliers and production steps per product. Gaps you find now are easier to close than gaps found during an audit.
2.Measure impact per product. Use a Quick Score to get an indicative baseline for your whole portfolio, then an Expert LCA for the products that matter most.
3.Involve your suppliers. Primary data from spinners, weavers, dye houses and manufacturers makes results more accurate than default values.
4.Make your data DPP-ready. Choose tools that export structured impact data or connect through an API, so it can flow into your passport system.
How bAwear helps
bAwear calculates the environmental impact of textile products with ReCiPe 2016 Midpoint (Hierarchist), aligned with ISO 14040/14044. More than 300 textile-specific product scenarios reflect how each product is actually made, from fibre to finished item, and results are reported per supply chain step. Outputs are DPP-ready, and through the EU LIFE DPP-Tex project we help shape how passports work for textiles in practice.
