Key elements of the EU's textile labelling frameworkno longer reflect market realities, technological progress, or the evolving EU textiles policy environment, prompting a joint call for targeted and proportionate revision. Five European trade organisations have addressed the call to the European Commission and identified four must-have elements for update; the current rules have not kept pace with conditions since the regulation's adoption in 2011.
- Policy Hub, the European Branded Clothing Association, EuroCommerce, Recycling Europe, and the Federation of the European Sporting Goods Industry were the signatories to the joint call.
- Tolerance margins of 2% for single-fibre products and 3% for multi-fibre products do not reflect the variability of recycled fibres; the Textile Labelling Regulation (TLR) must be amended to accept higher margins to make recycled content labelling reliable.
- Approximately 70% of consumers cut out large labels (Ipsos-GINETEX, 2025), removing or ignoring them entirely, which undermines their informational purpose while adding unnecessary cost and material waste.
- Divergent national requirements, including differing language mandates, national symbols, and label format rules, have fragmented the EU internal market for textile labelling.
- The signatories stated that introducing additional labelling instruments, including the ESPR label, should follow rather than precede the proper development of the TLR and the Digital Product Passport.
THE CASE FOR CHANGE: The TLR's fibre tolerance rules, physical label requirements, and internal market provisions have become outdated since the regulation's adoption in 2011, as they have failed to keep pace with technological progress, the increasing use of recycled and novel materials, and the EU's evolving textiles policy framework. The five signatories identified four must-have elements for revision: updating technical tolerance rules, enabling digital labelling, reducing internal market fragmentation, and clarifying the boundary between the TLR and the Digital Product Passport.
- The list of authorised fibre names and tolerance margins were developed for conventional materials and do not reflect the increasing use of recycled, organic, and novel materials in textile products.
- National labelling requirements across member states vary in language mandates, symbols, and format rules, creating fragmentation that adds cost and compliance complexity for producers and retailers.
- The letter identified digitalisation of labelling as a key objective of the EU's 2025 Single Market Strategy, placing the TLR revision within an active EU-wide policy commitment.
- The signatories stated that the TLR must remain a technical and focused piece of legislation, with the revision limited to must-have elements necessary for the regulation to function effectively.
THE POLICY PICTURE: The revision call situated the TLR within a wider EU policy architecture in which each instrument served a defined function, with the signatories explicit that the regulation's essential consumer-facing role should be preserved. The TLR should continue to define how fibre composition is communicated to consumers, while the Digital Product Passport should carry broader ecodesign and product performance information.
- The letter stated that priority should be given to proper development and implementation of the TLR and the DPP before any additional labelling requirements, including the ESPR label, are considered.
- Avoiding duplication between the TLR, the DPP, and any future instruments was identified as essential to keeping the overall regulatory framework coherent and proportionate.
- The revision was urged to ensure consumers continue to receive essential fibre composition information in a reliable and harmonised manner, without the physical label carrying unnecessary additional content.
