By starting with the supply chain data, because that takes longest to collect. Textiles and apparel are among the first product groups to get a Digital Product Passport (DPP) under the EU’s Ecodesign Regulation, with the rules targeted for 2027. The exact fields are not fixed yet, but the kind of information is clear enough to begin gathering it from mills and processors now.
Why does an EU rule reach an Indian exporter?
India has no passport law of its own. The EU rule applies to products sold on the EU market wherever they are made, and a covered garment can be sold there only once its passport is available. The legal duty sits with the business placing it on the EU market, usually the manufacturer or the EU importer. Either way, the data has to come from the exporter and its suppliers.
What data should be collected first?
- fibre composition of each product
- the share of recycled fibre
- substances of concern, a wide category that covers far more than restricted chemicals, including substances that make recycling harder
- how long the garment is expected to last, and whether it can be repaired
- how it should be recycled or disposed of
This information is spread across spinning, weaving, dyeing and finishing, often in different companies. Mapping who holds what is the useful first step.
Will every garment need its own QR code?
Possibly. Every passport needs a unique product identifier, linked to a carrier such as a QR code. The same study proposes a batch identifier as the minimum, with an identifier for each garment as a voluntary option. That is advice to the Commission, not a decision; the textile rules will set the level.
When could the textile passport start?
Not before the textile rules are adopted, and normally 18 months after they take effect. If they are adopted in 2027, that points to 2028 at the earliest, unless the rules justify an earlier date. As of October 2026, no rules had been adopted for any product group.
Where this comes from: Ecodesign Regulation (EU) 2024/1781, Articles 2, 4 and 9; ESPR Working Plan COM(2025) 187 final; Joint Research Centre textile and apparel DPP study, May 2026.