EU Proposal for a Revision to the Textile Labelling Regulation
Governmental Agency: European Commission
Jurisdiction: European Union
Ref no: TBC
Status: IN REVIEW
As part of the EU strategy for Sustainable and Circular textiles, The Commission will propose a revision for the textile labeling regulation introducing specifications for physical and digital labeling of textiles, including sustainability and circularity parameters, based on requirements from the proposed Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation. The revision not only includes textile products, but also other related products, such as leather and fur products of apparel, clothing accessories and interior household products. Footwear labelling is governed by a separate EU Directive.
Currently, if you're planning to sell textile products in the EU, they must comply with the existing EU labeling requirements. In general, this means they must carry a label clearly identifying the composition of all textile fibres used and indicating any non-textile parts of animal origin.
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Textile labels are mandatory in the EU for textiles intended for sale to the end consumer. In the case of business-to-business sales, textile labels may be replaced or supplemented by accompanying commercial documents.
National authorities can check textile products for conformity at any stage of the marketing chain, such as; when requesting customs clearance, at distributor's warehouses, at wholesale or retail outlets.
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The Commission opened a public consultation on December 19, 2023 to gather the views of the industry and citizens on the need to change the regulation, which closed April 15, 2024. The Commission will likely introduce a legislative proposal to amend the existing Regulation after reviewing the input in the fourth quarter of 2024.
As revisions are considered, the Commission has identified 1) the fragmentation of the European Single Market, 2) the lack of information to consumers, and 3) the sustainability of the sector as the three primary concerns.