2–3 minute read • Sources: European Commission, JRC, and relevant primary texts

Under the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR – EU 2024/1781), the European Commission has identified textiles and apparel as one of the priority product groups. The practical implication is clear: in the near future, every textile product placed on the EU market will be required to have a Digital Product Passport (DPP). For Turkish textile exporters, this is no longer a distant issue; the preparation timeline has begun.

Why is textiles a priority sector?

There are 194,000 textile companies in the EU generating €166 billion in annual turnover. At the same time, textile consumption has the fourth-highest negative impact on the environment and climate in the EU, and the third-highest impact in terms of water and land use. The apparel segment alone accounts for 4.85 billion kg of annual consumption (2019), ahead of home textiles (3.28) and technical textiles (3.55). Türkiye is the third-largest country exporting textiles to the EU, after China and Bangladesh. In other words, the EU's sustainability agenda directly shapes Turkish exporters' market access.

What will the DPP contain?

The DPP will be accessible to both consumers and authorized authorities through a QR code or similar data carrier placed on the product. The content to be finalized through the Delegated Act will most likely include:

● Product identification and technical specifications

● Fiber composition (in compliance with the Textile Labelling Regulation EU 1007/2011)

● Use, repair, and care information

● Guidelines for reuse, resale, disassembly, refurbishment, and recycling

● Origin information and identification details of the relevant economic operators

● Conformity assessment documentation (accessible to authorized authorities)

Who is responsible?

The DPP obligation falls on economic operators that place products on the EU market or put them into service within EU territory — manufacturers, production companies, and importers. Distributors and sellers must ensure that a DPP is available for the products they distribute. Suppliers will also be required to share the information they hold throughout the value chain. In short, the passport is not the responsibility of a single actor; it is a shared data agreement across the entire chain.

Implementation Timeline

According to the roadmap announced by the European Commission:

● March 2026: JRC Methodology Report (JRC145830) was published — providing the framework for determining which data will be mandatory, recommended, or voluntary.

● Q4 2027: Adoption of the ESPR Delegated Act for textiles is planned.

● Afterwards: Additional technical specifications and implementation measures; typically, mandatory implementation will follow an 18-month transition period (2028–2029).

Critical Point for Exporters

The DPP is not a paper document; it is a living data layer that is updated throughout the product's lifetime. This means preparation should begin now rather than waiting until 2027, including investments in production traceability (MES), supply chain data collection, and digital infrastructure.

What Should Turkish Textile Exporters Do?

The most critical gap is not technology, but data discipline. A DPP infrastructure rests on three fundamental pillars: (1) recording traceability at the lot/SKU level during production, (2) collecting material and chemical composition data from suppliers, and (3) sharing data in compliance with standards such as the EU Registry, GS1 Digital Link, and EPCIS 2.0. For a business without an MES infrastructure today, the 18-month transition period after the Delegated Act may not be sufficient on its own. Exporters who act early can both secure market access and strengthen their position in price negotiations with sustainability-focused EU buyers.

Conclusion

ESPR is more than a regulation; it is a market access condition. By the end of 2027, DPP will be a requirement rather than a choice for every company selling textiles to the EU. The question today should not be "When will DPP become mandatory?" but rather "Is our product data infrastructure ready for this requirement?"

For Your ESPR & Digital Product Passport Preparation

Would you like to learn more about ensuring your products' post-2027 compliance in the EU market and preparing your ERP/MES and supply chain data infrastructure for DPP? The DPPVisa team is ready to speak with you.

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Primary Sources

• European Commission – Textile DPP page

• ESPR Regulation (EU 2024/1781)

• JRC145830 – DPP Data Requirements Methodology

• Preparatory Study on Textile Products (JRC Product Bureau)

• Textile Labelling Regulation (EU 1007/2011)