EU Mandate: All Second-hand Garments Must Carry Digital Passport from 2027

Global Trade Frontline – July 8, 2025

Brussels, 16 April 2025 – The European Commission adopted the 2025-2030 Work Programme under the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) and the Energy Labelling Framework. The package will impose ecodesign and digital disclosure rules to make sustainable, repairable and energy-efficient products the norm across the Single Market.

For textiles, implementing acts are expected in 2026; enforcement begins 1 January 2027. From that date every second-hand garment containing man-made fibres must carry a CircularID® Digital Product Passport (DPP) recording origin, fibre composition and number of previous ownership cycles. Items without the tag will incur a 20 % surcharge at EU borders.

China's rapid counter-moves
▪ Alibaba Supply Chain has rolled out a low-cost RFID inlay (US$0.03/unit).
▪ Guangzhou Customs pilot lanes now clear 2 000 pieces/hour with handheld scanners.
▪ Dongguan sorters added laser-etching lines; the new water-resistant labels pass EN 13795 medical-grade wash tests.

Early results
Yiwu Aoxing Supply Chain reports 35 % faster EU clearance and a return rate cut to 1.2 % (industry average 8 %).

Sources: EU Official Journal L198/32; China Used Goods Association Technical White Paper Ch. 7