// Guide · EU Digital Product Passport

EU Digital Product Passport for Apparel: What UK Brands Need to Know

If you sell clothing or textiles in the EU, the Digital Product Passport (DPP) will affect you. This page explains what is decided, what is not decided, and what you can start now.

This page is general information, not legal advice.

Updated 25 October 2026

What is a Digital Product Passport?

A DPP is a digital record linked to a product, usually through a QR code or a similar data carrier. It holds information about the product, for example its materials, where it was made, and how to repair or recycle it.

The EU created DPPs in the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR), Regulation (EU) 2024/1781.

Timeline: confirmed and expected

  • July 2024 (confirmed): ESPR comes into force. It is the legal framework for DPPs.
  • April 2025 (confirmed): the European Commission's ESPR working plan for 2025 to 2030 names textiles and apparel as a priority product group.
  • July 2026 (confirmed): the EU's central DPP registry starts to operate. It is infrastructure. It does not yet create any duties for clothing.
  • 2027 (expected): the Commission plans to adopt the textile delegated act. This act sets the exact data fields, the scope and who must create the passport.
  • After the act (expected): a transition period before the rules apply. Under ESPR this is normally at least 18 months after the act comes into force.

As of October 2026, no textile delegated act has been adopted. Dates can still move. Check the European Commission's pages before you plan around a date.

Does the DPP apply to UK brands?

The DPP is EU law. It applies to products placed on the EU market, wherever they are made. A UK brand that sells to customers in the EU, or through EU retailers, will need to meet the textile rules when they apply.

At the time of writing, the UK has not announced DPP rules of its own.

What is not decided yet

  • The exact data fields for clothing.
  • Whether a passport is for each model, each batch or each item.
  • The data carrier, for example a QR code or an NFC tag.
  • Who can see which data.

What you can start now

  • Keep a clear record of each production file you send to a factory: the file, its version and the date you sent it.
  • Record the print method, the colour set-up and the checks the file passed.
  • Ask your suppliers what material and origin data they can give you.
  • Keep these records in one place, so you can map them to the DPP fields when the textile act is published.

How AOP101 helps

AOP101 creates DPP-preparation records. It does not create passports. Each audit report records the file's SHA-256 fingerprint (a code that is unique to that exact file), the print method, the print size, the checks that ran and the result. Together, these reports give you a pre-production audit trail.

AOP101 is not a DPP registry. A DPP API module is planned for 2027, after the textile rules are known.

Sources

Start your pre-production audit trail. Every report records the file fingerprint. 20 free credits, no card.

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