The short answer: Digital Product Passports are expected to become mandatory for fashion and textiles in 2027. The longer answer involves understanding the EU's delegated act process, why the preparation window is far shorter than brands assume, and what PPWR's August 2026 deadline means for your readiness.
The official timeline
ESPR (Regulation EU 2024/1781) was published in June 2024. It establishes the legal framework but does not set product-specific dates — those come through delegated acts. The European Commission publishes a working plan identifying which product categories will be addressed and when. Textiles and apparel are among the priority categories, with the delegated act expected in 2025–2026.
Once the delegated act is published, brands typically have 18–24 months to comply. Working backwards from a likely 2027 mandatory date implies a delegated act in late 2025 or 2026. Brands should treat 2027 as a firm planning deadline, even though the precise date has not been officially confirmed.
Why you cannot wait for the delegated act
The delegated act will confirm the exact data fields and mandatory date. It will not give you more time to collect the data. Supply chain data — particularly for tier-2 and tier-3 suppliers — takes 12–18 months to collect properly. Certification programmes like GOTS and GRS require batch-level linkage that must be established during production, not retrospectively. If you wait for the delegated act before starting, you will be racing to comply on a compressed timeline with suppliers who haven't been onboarded.
What to do at each stage
- →Now — Q3 2025: Import product catalogue to TraceID. Publish first DPPs on hero styles. Onboard tier-1 suppliers.
- →Q4 2025: Monitor delegated act publication. Deepen traceability — tier-2 fabric suppliers, certification linkage.
- →Q1–Q2 2026: Expand to full catalogue. Complete supplier network. Align packaging QR codes for PPWR August deadline.
- →August 2026: PPWR applies. Your DPP infrastructure is already built and tested.
- →2027: DPP mandatory. Full catalogue live, audit-ready, compliance scores in the green.