What is a textile DPP?
A digital record that makes information about a garment accessible through its label.
Start with the basics →Understand the requirements.
Prepare your product data.
A practical guide to digital product passports for textile brands, manufacturers and exporters. Find out what is known, what is still being decided and how to start with Item Twin.
Reviewed EU legislation · Commission guidance · GS1 standards
Is there a deadline?
Textile-specific rules are still being developed. A planned adoption date is not an application deadline.
Understand the timetable →What can we do now?
Organise one product’s records, check the gaps and test a passport and label.
Follow the preparation steps →On this page
What is a textile digital product passport?
A digital product passport (DPP) is a digital record linked to a product. For a garment, it can bring together information about materials, production, care and supporting documents. A customer scans the label to open the record.
- ProductThe garment being identified
- QR codeThe link on its label
- PassportThe information people can read
A QR code is a way to reach the information; it does not check whether that information is correct. A certificate supports claims within its own scope. Neither replaces a maintained product record.
What is decided, and what is still to come?
FRAMEWORK IN PLACE
ESPR sets the foundation
The Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation establishes the DPP framework. Product-specific delegated acts set the detailed obligations.
Read ESPR Article 9 ↗TEXTILE RULES IN DEVELOPMENT
Q4 2027 is a planned adoption milestone
The Commission lists Q4 2027 for adoption of the textile delegated act. It is not a blanket deadline for every textile business. The final act will determine scope and application arrangements.
Check the Commission’s textile timetable ↗The exact textile data fields, identification level and access arrangements are not a finished checklist today. The JRC’s studies inform that work; a study or consultation document is not the final law. Follow the technical study ↗
What this means for your team
Start collecting reliable data now. Keep your preparation flexible so it can be checked against the final rules. Ask any provider to distinguish features available today from future regulatory work.
Which businesses need to prepare?
The Commission identifies businesses placing textile apparel on the EU market, including manufacturers or importers, as the primary operators concerned. Dealers, distributors and suppliers also have roles. The relevant role depends on how the product reaches the market, not simply where the business is based. Read the Commission’s explanation ↗
Brands & importers
Identify who will maintain the passport. Agree how your product, sourcing and compliance teams will approve the information.
Manufacturers & exporters
Confirm what your buyer needs. Prepare composition, production and supporting records that can be matched to each product.
Suppliers & production partners
Confirm the stages you perform and the records you can provide. Flag missing information instead of guessing.
For home textiles, footwear or technical products, check the relevant product category separately. Do not assume an apparel timetable covers every textile use.
What information should you collect?
Use this as a starting point for your team, not a list of final mandatory fields. For each entry, record the source, the person responsible and what still needs checking.
Product identity
Product name, image, colour, size, model reference and relevant identifiers.
Check: Keep internal style codes separate from standard product identifiers.
Item Twin
Product records keep these details together.
Fibre composition
Fibre percentages and the components they describe, such as the main fabric or lining.
Check: Use the specification for the actual product. Keep evidence for recycled-content claims.
Item Twin
Record composition and component details.
Production records
Known stages, countries, facilities and supplier references.
Check: Confirm which partner carried out each stage.
Item Twin
Link products to reusable supplier and facility records.
Care & supporting information
Product-specific care instructions, certificate references and relevant documents.
Check: Check document scope and validity. Confirm that the care advice fits the garment.
Item Twin
Keep care information and certificate references with the product.
Repair & end of life
Any repair, take-back or recycling information your business can substantiate.
Check: Only describe services or instructions that actually exist.
Item Twin
Start with your care records. Contact us to check how repair or take-back information can be included.
Responsibility & review
The company responsible, contact details, data sources and review responsibilities.
Check: Agree who approves changes and resolves supplier questions.
Item Twin
Organise the company record and export data for your own review process.
Work through the detailed product data checklist →
Keep existing textile labels in place
A passport does not automatically replace fibre-composition labelling. Existing textile labelling rules still apply. Check the required physical labels before changing your artwork. Read the textile labelling guidance ↗ See Article 14 ↗
How do you connect the right garment to the right record?
GS1 Digital Link expresses GS1 identifiers in web addresses. A GTIN identifies a trade item; adding a serial number can identify an individual piece. The linked content can change without changing the printed address. Read the GS1 standard overview ↗
- GTIN
- A GS1 identifier for a trade item. It is not the same as your internal style code.
- Serial number
- Distinguishes an individual piece when used with its product identifier.
- Model, batch or item
- The level a passport refers to. ESPR leaves the required level to the relevant product rules.
- Data carrier
- The scannable element linking the physical product to its digital information, such as a QR code.
Identification requirements: ESPR Articles 9–10 ↗. Using GS1 is Item Twin’s approach; it is not a claim that every textile DPP must use GS1.
Who can see the information, and who keeps it current?
ESPR requires accurate, current data, interoperable formats and defined access rights. The applicable rules determine which actors can read or update which data. A customer page is only one view of a passport system. Read Articles 9–11 ↗
- Choose a data owner. Give someone responsibility for each product record and for checking corrections.
- Review what customers see. Check care instructions, countries and supplier visibility before publishing.
- Plan for continuity. Ask about backups, availability, export and what happens if you change providers.
- Keep evidence accessible. A completed field still needs a reliable source behind it.
From your first spreadsheet to a tested passport.
You do not need to migrate the whole catalogue at once. Use one representative product to agree a repeatable process.
Choose a product
Pick a garment whose data your team knows well. Name the person who will review it.
In Item Twin: Create the company, facility and product records you need.
Your checkpoint: One clearly identified pilot product.Bring in the information
Gather the specification, care instructions and supplier references.
In Item Twin: Enter a product directly or use the Excel import template for multiple records.
Your checkpoint: Product information collected in one place.Check the gaps
Resolve uncertain values with the person who supplied them.
In Item Twin: Review missing information and import validation errors, including identifier or supplier-reference problems.
Your checkpoint: A reviewed record, with unresolved questions recorded by your team.Prepare and print the labels
Choose the identification level for the pilot and confirm the printer and material.
In Item Twin: Generate QR labels; download a PDF sheet or zipped PNG images for your artwork.
Your checkpoint: A physical test label before a full production run.Scan, review and maintain
Scan the label on a phone. Check the product, care information and public supplier visibility.
In Item Twin: Open the branded passport, update its content when needed and export your records.
Your checkpoint: A working pilot and a process to repeat for the next collection.
What does Item Twin handle?
Available in the platform
- Product, composition, supplier and facility records.
- Excel import and data-readiness checks.
- GS1 Digital Link QR codes and serial numbers.
- PDF label sheets and PNG images in ZIP files.
- Branded browser passports and supplier-name visibility.
- Content updates, recorded scan activity and JSON export.
Still needs separate work
- Checking that supplier information and claims are accurate.
- Assessing which rules apply to your product and business role.
- Confirming the final textile fields and technical requirements.
- Independent certification or authenticity verification.
- Assessing legal retention, backup and access arrangements.
- Submission to a live EU registry, which Item Twin does not currently provide.
The Commission announced the registry launch on 20 July 2026. Read the official announcement ↗ or see what it means for textile teams.
The EU registry is distinct from the customer-facing passport page. Publishing a page in Item Twin is not proof of registry submission. See ESPR Article 13 ↗
Questions textile teams ask.
Do all textile companies need a DPP by 2027?
No common 2027 application deadline is established by the Commission’s planned adoption timetable. Check the final product rules for scope and dates. Commission textile timetable ↗
Does making products outside the EU remove the need to prepare?
No. If your products are supplied to the EU market, agree with the buyer or importer who is responsible for the passport and which records you need to provide. Roles in the textile supply chain ↗
Can a QR code replace the existing composition label?
Do not remove a required label just because a passport is available. Check the current textile labelling requirements for your product. Textile labelling guidance ↗
Is a DPP the same as a sustainability certificate?
No. A passport presents information. It does not independently verify a claim or certify the product. Keep certificate references tied to the products and claims they actually cover.
Must every individual garment have its own serial number?
Not automatically. The relevant product rules determine the identification level. Item Twin supports product-level passports and serialised items; choose an approach for your pilot that your team can maintain. ESPR Article 9 ↗
Will all our supplier names be public?
In Item Twin, you can hide supplier names from the customer view while showing production stages and countries. Check the final regulatory access requirements separately.
Can we update a passport after the labels are printed?
Yes. Item Twin lets you update product information while keeping the GTIN, serial number and QR address fixed. Test the published page after making a change.
What should we bring to an initial conversation?
A sample product, its specification or spreadsheet, your current label format and any buyer requirements. We can discuss how to organise the data, prepare labels and review your first passport.
Official guidance and standards.
Use legislation for legal requirements, Commission pages for policy updates and JRC documents for work in progress. GS1 explains the identification standard used by Item Twin. Source links were reviewed on 9 September 2026.
- European Commission · Textile apparel DPP ↗
Sector priorities, indicative timetable and the businesses involved.
- EUR-Lex · ESPR, Regulation (EU) 2024/1781 ↗
The legal framework. See Articles 9–11 for passports and Article 13 for the registry.
- JRC · Textile preparatory study documents ↗
Technical studies and consultation documents, including the May 2026 study on textile DPP content. These are preparatory materials, not final requirements.
- Your Europe · Textile labelling ↗
Practical guidance on existing fibre-composition labels.
- EUR-Lex · Textile Labelling Regulation ↗
Regulation (EU) No 1007/2011, including Article 14 on labels and markings.
- GS1 · Digital Link standard ↗
How GS1 identifiers connect products to online information. GS1 is a standards organisation, not an EU regulator.
This guide is published by Item Twin. Preparation steps and platform explanations are our own guidance; links identify the external basis for regulatory statements. Product scope and final requirements should be checked against the applicable legislation.
Let’s review your first product.
Tell us what you make, how you store product data and which labels you use. We’ll discuss how Item Twin fits your workflow and what your team needs to prepare.
Discuss your textile DPP project →Explore the platform features →