EU Law on Product Traceability in Fashion

The EU law on fashion sustainability underscores product traceability as a cornerstone of its strategy to transition toward a more circular and environmentally responsible industry. This emphasis on traceability aims to address several challenges, including transparency, accountability, and informed consumer choices. Here's a breakdown of how the EU plans to enhance product traceability in the fashion industry:

Digital Product Passport:

  • The sources describe plans to implement a Digital Product Passport for textile products as part of the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation.
  • This passport will serve as a digital repository of essential information about a garment's lifecycle, enabling traceability from raw material extraction to manufacturing, distribution, use, and end-of-life management.
  • While the specific data points to be included are still under development, the sources suggest they will encompass details about the product's environmental footprint, composition, presence of hazardous substances, durability, reparability, and other relevant sustainability parameters.
  • This passport will be linked to a unique product identifier, ensuring each garment can be individually tracked throughout its journey.
  • The EU intends to make this information accessible to consumers, businesses, and authorities, empowering informed purchasing decisions, enabling responsible waste management, and facilitating effective market surveillance.

Supply Chain Mapping and Transparency:

  • Beyond the Digital Product Passport, the EU legislation encourages fashion companies to enhance transparency by mapping their supply chains more comprehensively.
  • This involves identifying and disclosing the various stages of production, from raw material sourcing to manufacturing locations, to provide greater visibility into potential social and environmental risks associated with a product's origin.

Information Requirements and Labeling:

  • The EU aims to empower consumers with clear and reliable information about the sustainability attributes of fashion products.
  • Beyond the Digital Product Passport, this includes potentially expanding labeling requirements to include details about a garment's durability, reparability, recycled content, and other relevant sustainability factors.
  • The sources suggest the EU is considering introducing harmonized methodologies for calculating and presenting this information to ensure consistency and comparability across brands and products.

Addressing Greenwashing:

  • The EU acknowledges concerns about "greenwashing," where companies make misleading or unsubstantiated claims about the environmental friendliness of their products.
  • The sources indicate the EU intends to tackle this issue through a combination of measures, including stricter regulations on environmental claims, the promotion of credible certification labels, and enhanced market surveillance to ensure companies are held accountable for their claims.

Traceability and Enforcement:

  • Enhanced traceability, facilitated by the Digital Product Passport and supply chain mapping, is expected to improve the effectiveness of market surveillance efforts.
  • Having access to detailed product information will enable authorities to identify and take action against non-compliant products or companies more efficiently, ensuring a level playing field and incentivizing compliance with EU sustainability standards.

In conclusion, the EU's approach to product traceability in fashion centers on empowering stakeholders with information, promoting transparency and accountability throughout the supply chain, and enabling more informed choices by consumers and businesses. By leveraging digital tools, expanding information requirements, and strengthening enforcement mechanisms, the EU aims to drive the fashion industry toward greater sustainability and responsible consumption patterns.