When will the textile Digital Product Passport be mandatory?

The exact date is set by the ESPR delegated act for textiles, which has not yet been adopted. Textiles are in the 2027 wave of the ESPR working plan, so the passport is expected to phase in from around 2027 — treat any single earlier 'deadline' with caution until the act is adopted.

Why do textile DPP dates seem to conflict?

Because two things run in parallel: the ESPR framework has applied since July 2024 (with fixed obligations like the destruction ban), while the passport itself only becomes concrete once the textile delegated act is adopted. Quoted 2027/2028/2029 dates are estimates of that act, not law yet.

What textile obligation is already fixed?

The ban on destroying unsold clothing, accessories, and footwear, which applies to large companies from 19 July 2026 under the ESPR.

Textile DPP · Timeline

Textile Digital Product Passport: the timeline

Is it 2027, 2028, or 2029? The dates you see quoted conflict because two different things are in play — a framework already in force and a delegated act still to come. Here is the timeline, untangled.

The dates · ESPR (Regulation (EU) 2024/1781)

The framework (the ESPR) is already law. The textile passport itself arrives when the ESPR delegated act for textiles is adopted — expected in the 2027 wave, with obligations phasing in afterwards. One concrete date is already fixed: the unsold-stock destruction ban from 19 July 2026.

The textile DPP timeline — framework vs delegated act.

Date	What happens
18 Jul 2024	ESPR enters into force; textiles named a priority product group.
19 Jul 2026	Unsold-textiles destruction ban applies to large companies (a fixed date).
~2027	ESPR delegated act for textiles expected — this is what sets the passport's data set and dates.
After adoption	Textile DPP obligations phase in on the timeline the delegated act specifies (commonly cited as 2027–2028).

Two things people confuse

ESPR framework — in force since 2024
Textile delegated act — not yet adopted
Destruction ban — fixed at 19 Jul 2026
Passport date — set by the delegated act

Why do the textile DPP dates seem to conflict?

Because two clocks are running. The ESPR framework has applied since July 2024 and already carries fixed obligations like the destruction ban. The passport, though, only becomes concrete once the textile delegated act is adopted — and until it is, every “deadline” you see (2027, 2028, 2029) is an estimate of when that act lands and phases in, not a date in law.

What is actually fixed today?

One thing: from 19 July 2026, large companies may no longer destroy unsold clothing, accessories, and footwear. That is a real, dated obligation under the ESPR — covered in full on the unsold-stock ban page. Everything about the textile passport's content and start date is still “expected” until the delegated act.

What should textile brands do now?

Don't wait for the exact date. Start capturing what a passport will almost certainly need — fibre composition, key production steps, care and durability — because that same data already helps with the destruction-ban record-keeping. The textile DPP overview covers the likely data set, and the DPP checker shows where textiles sit against the other product categories.

Sources

Last reviewed 11 July 2026