Digital Product Passports in Fashion: What You Need to Know

The Digital Product Passport is no longer a distant policy idea. For fashion and textile businesses, it is becoming a practical reality.

A new 2026 report from the European Commission’s Joint Research Center sets out the methodology that will be used to define what data should be included in Digital Product Passports under the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation, or ESPR. While it does not yet establish final textile-specific rules, it gives companies something highly valuable: a clear picture of where things are heading.

For SMEs and entrepreneurs in fashion and textiles, the message is straightforward: The future will require product information that is more structured, more reliable and easier to share across the value chain.

The Digital Product Passport (DPP) is a tool intended to support sustainability, transparency, traceability and circularity across product value chains. The tool is set to make product information more accessible and useful not only for consumers, but also for businesses, authorities, repairers and recyclers.

This is particularly significant for the fashion and textile sector where information is spread across suppliers, internal systems, technical sheets and disconnected documents, making transparency difficult if not almost impossible. Indeed, in practice this dispersion of information makes it difficult to verify claims, respond to buyer requests, support repair or reuse and meet the new regulatory requirements.

The DPP is designed to improve that. Not by simply adding another label, but by creating a more consistent and practical way to organise and share product data.

The DPP is set to be introduced progressively through product-specific delegated acts, and fashion and textiles are among the priority product groups identified in the first ESPR Working plan. According to the Commission, the preparatory work is currently underway, and the changes might start as soon as 2027, based on their indicative timeline.

That does not mean textile companies need to panic. But it does mean now is the right moment to prepare.

Businesses that start understanding their data today will be in a much stronger position when specific requirements are finalized.

One of the most useful things about this report is that it focuses on method, not just ambition.

Rather than assuming that every possible piece of information should be included in a passport, it proposes a structured process to decide what data is actually needed, why it matters, and how realistic it is for businesses to provide it. The methodology translates policy objectives and use cases into data needs, then classifies those needs as essential, strongly recommended or voluntary based on relevance, feasibility and value for users.

That is an important point for SMEs. It suggests that future DPP requirements should be shaped not only by policy goals, but also by practical business realities.

The report also makes a clear distinction between two different questions: what information should be included, and how technical systems will eventually implement it. Its focus is on the first question. Detailed technical architecture remains outside the scope of this methodology.

In other words, the most urgent issue for businesses is not which digital platform to choose. It is whether they know what product information they have, whether it is reliable, and whether it can be shared in a structured way.

The methodology is built around four main steps:

• Scope and context. This includes defining the product group, understanding the market context, identifying stakeholders, reviewing legal requirements and assessing the current state of data collection across the value chain.
• Use cases and data needs. Here, policymakers identify what the passport should help different actors do, then translate those needs into data requirements.
• Design and development. This step covers existing vocabularies, data granularity, access rights and governance arrangements.
• Validation and consultation. Proposed specifications are reviewed and refined with stakeholder input.

For fashion and textile companies, this is encouraging. It suggests that future requirements should be informed by actual value chain needs and operational realities, not developed in isolation.

The report identifies several broad categories of information that may be required through a DPP.

One category is product and producer identification. That includes unique product identifiers, operator identifiers and facility identifiers, as well as descriptive information such as product name, model, manufacturer details and relevant facilities. These are the foundations that allow other information to be reliably linked to the right product.

Another category is product-specific information related to sustainability and circularity. The report points to parameters such as durability, reparability, reusability, upgradability, energy and resource efficiency, plus information for installation, use, maintenance, repair and end-of-life treatment. For textiles, that could eventually connect to issues such as fibre composition, care, expected use, repair guidance, disassembly, recyclability and handling by waste operators.

A third category is information on substances of concern, where relevant. The report notes that such disclosures may help safe use, repair, refurbishment and recycling, while complementing existing chemicals and waste legislation rather than duplicating it.

And a fourth category is information already required under other EU law, such as technical documentation, declarations or user-facing instructions, where including it in the passport would improve transparency or enforcement efficiency. The exact textile requirements are still to come. But the direction is already clear: businesses will need to provide product information that is meaningful, credible and useful across multiple stages of a product’s life cycle.

Another important takeaway is that the Digital Product Passport is not expected to work as a one-size-fits-all disclosure tool.

Different users may need different kinds of access. The report highlights questions of data granularity, access rights and governance, and stresses that product information should be accurate, complete, up to date, understandable and machine-readable.

That matters because the real challenge is not just collecting data. It is managing it properly. Determining the answer to questions like who owns the data, who updates it and what is public or private are becoming part of strategic business readiness.

Even without final textile-specific rules, there are practical steps companies can take today.

Start by mapping your current product information. What do you already know about materials, suppliers, production, care, compliance, repair or end-of-life handling?

Then look at quality and consistency. Is the information accurate, current and easy to verify? Or is it scattered across spreadsheets, emails and disconnected files?

Next, think about governance. Who in your business is responsible for product data? Who checks it? Who updates it?

Finally, view this as more than a compliance issue. Better product data can support better communication, better collaboration and stronger trust with customers, partners and buyers. In other words, preparing for the Digital Product Passport is also a chance to strengthen the foundations of your business.

The biggest message is not just that Digital Product Passports are coming. It is that future product transparency will depend on structured, useful and well-managed data.

For the fashion and textiles industry that presents both a challenge and an opportunity.

Companies will need to improve how they collect, organise and share product information. But the opportunity is just as clear: businesses that prepare early will be better placed to meet regulatory expectations, support circularity, strengthen credibility and stay competitive in a changing market.

The Digital Product Passport is not only about compliance. It is about building a more transparent, resilient and future-ready fashion and textile sector. For the full methodology, visit the Official European Commission Website.

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