TCF POST Desk
Five influential European organizations have urged the European Commission (EC) to update key elements of the current Textile Labelling Regulation (TLR) to ensure it complements emerging EU textile policies.
In a joint statement, the European Branded Clothing Association (EBCA), the Federation of the European Sporting Goods Industry (FESI), the European Recycling Industries’ Confederation (EuRIC), EuroCommerce, and Policy Hub – circularity for apparel and footwear, called for a targeted and timely revision of the TLR.
The organizations argued that modernizing the framework is essential to maintaining its core purpose: providing consumers with reliable, harmonized information while ensuring new legislation is implemented effectively.
“A targeted revision is timely and necessary,” the statement noted. “It provides an opportunity to modernize the framework while preserving its purpose. It is also important to ensure a clear distinction between various labelling tools, avoid duplication, and ensure that new requirements do not add unnecessary complexity”.
Modernizing an Outdated Framework
The organizations acknowledged that while the TLR has successfully provided harmonized fibre composition information since 2011, it is now outdated. Developed when product information was static and limited to physical labels, the current regulation fails to reflect modern market realities, technological progress, or the evolving EU policy landscape.
The group proposed four “must-have” elements for the revision:
- Update Technical Rules: Current lists of authorized fibre names and tolerance margins (2% for single-fibre and 3% for multi-fibre products) were designed for conventional materials. These do not reflect the variability of recycled, organic, or novel materials, making accurate communication difficult. Higher tolerance margins are needed to ensure consistent and reliable labelling.
- Enable Digital Labelling: Current physical labels are often bulky and multi-page, leading approximately 70% of consumers to cut them out, which undermines their purpose and creates waste (Ipsos-GINETEX, 2025). The revision should restrict physical labels to essential information while enabling additional data to be provided digitally, supporting the EU’s 2025 Single Market Strategy.
- Address Market Fragmentation: The industry faces divergent national labelling requirements, including varying language mandates, national symbols, and formatting rules. There is an urgent need to harmonize these interpretations across the internal market.
- Avoid Duplication: A clear distinction must be maintained between different communication tools. The TLR should continue to govern core information like fibre composition, while the Digital Product Passport (DPP) should carry broader information on ecodesign and product performance. Before introducing additional requirements—such as the ESPR label—priority should be given to the effective implementation of the TLR and DPP, alongside an assessment of whether further mandates add genuine value.
The organizations concluded by urging the Commission to proceed with a targeted, proportionate revision that reduces regulatory fragmentation and supports the broader objectives of EU textile policy.
