Home » EU Parliament Greenlights New Textiles EPR Scheme: What Producers Need to Know to Stay Compliant

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EU Parliament Greenlights New Textiles EPR Scheme: What Producers Need to Know to Stay Compliant

This blog was originally posted on 16th September, 2025. Further regulatory developments may have occurred after publication. To keep up-to-date with the latest compliance news, sign up to our newsletter.

AUTHORED BY HANNAH JANKNECHT, REGULATORY COMPLIANCE SPECIALIST, COMPLIANCE & RISKS

More than two years after it was first proposed by the European Commission, the European Parliament adopted the long-awaited amendment to the Waste Framework Directive, aiming to reduce textile waste across the EU by introducing mandatory extended producer responsibility in the textiles sector. In its resolution dated 9 September, the Parliament chose to adopt the Council’s first-reading position without any changes.

The Directive now awaits formal signatures from both the Parliament and the Council. It is set to come into effect 20 days after its publication in the EU Official Journal.

Who Must Comply With the New EPR Rules?

The new textiles EPR scheme will apply to producers of textile, textile-related or footwear products listed in Annex IVc. Producer means any manufacturer, importer or distributor or other natural or legal person that is either a:

Manufacturer established in the EU: Those who design/manufacture textile, textile-related or footwear products (Annex IVc) under their own name/trademark and supply them in that Member State.
Reseller under their own brand: Those established in the EU who place on the market textiles manufactured by others, but selling them under their own name/trademark (where the manufacturer’s name does not appear).
Importer / intra-EU supplier: Those established in the EU who supply for the first time in a Member State (on a professional basis), textiles covered by Annex IVc coming from another Member State or a third country.
Distance seller established abroad: Those established in another Member State or in a third country who sell directly to end-users (consumers or non-consumers) in a Member State via distance communication (including e-commerce).

Covered products include:

All apparel and clothing accessories, including knitted and crocheted articles and articles made of leather
Home textiles and furnishing articles
Worn clothing and other worn articles
Hats and other headgear
Footwear

EU Member States can introduce their own EPR systems for mattresses under national law.

What are the Key Features of the Textiles EPR Scheme?

The new EU Textiles EPR scheme requires producers to take financial responsibility for the entire lifecycle of their products by funding the collection, sorting, reuse, and recycling of textile waste through Producer Responsibility Organizations (PROs). Member States will implement these schemes, ensuring that textile waste is separately collected and managed to promote circularity and reduce environmental impact across the EU.

Authorized Representative

Companies that are established in one Member State and that make products available in other Member States are required to appoint an authorized representative. Member States can extend this obligation to companies established in third countries.

Costs to be Covered by Producers

The new EPR rules will require textile producers to cover the costs of:

Collection and waste management (including collection and waste management performed by social economy entities)
Surveys and monitoring
Consumer information (e.g. campaigns and information on sustainable consumption, prevention, re‑use, repair, recycling, and waste disposal)
Data gathering and reporting to the competent authorities
Support to research improvements of textiles in line with the ecodesign principles of the ESPR

For online sales, producers must provide online platforms and fulfillment service providers with proof of their registration and a self-certification of compliance with EPR requirements.

Registration

Member States must set up a register of all textile producers in order to enable compliance monitoring. The EU Commission will make links to all national registers available. Producers are only allowed to make products available on the market after registering, either directly, through their authorized representative or their producer responsibility organization. Within 18 months from the date of entry into force of the Directive, the EU Commission will adopt implementing acts to establish a harmonized format for registration.

Producer Responsibility Organizations (PROs)

The new textiles EPR Directive does not allow producers to run their own producer responsibility scheme or organize self-compliance. Instead, the EPR obligations are exercised collectively through producer responsibility organizations (PROs). Producers must entrust a PRO to fulfill their obligations on their behalf. Member states must ensure that PROs are set up within 30 months after the entry into force of the Directive. Microenterprises, defined as companies with fewer than 10 employees and an annual turnover and balance sheet total of no more than EUR 2 million, are granted an extra 12 months to comply with the obligations.

PROs take care of the producer’s EPR obligations, including registration, collection of fees, organization of textile waste collection, sorting and treatment, organization of consumer awareness campaigns, reporting and supporting of innovation and research. The ultimate responsibility to ensure that all of these obligations are fulfilled however remains with the producer.

The waste collection scheme established by the PROs must be separate, accessible, free of charge for consumers and supported by adequate infrastructure and regular pick-ups. PROs are required to report on the amounts of textile waste collected each year, separated into quantities fit for reuse, quantities fit for recycling and other waste. This information must also be published on the PROs website.

PROs must ensure that the financial contributions paid by producers are adjusted to the environmental performance of the products they place on the market, also referred to as ‘ecomodulation fees’. The criteria for the ecomodulation fees will be modelled on the Ecodesign requirements set out in the new EU Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (EU) 2024/1781 (ESPR), focusing on those most relevant to reducing textile waste. Member States can also require PROs to address ultra-fast and fast fashion practices through the modification of these fees, for example by modulating the fees based on the typical lifespan and recyclability of the textile product. If considered necessary, the EU Commission will adopt implementing acts to guide the establishment of the ecomodulation fees.

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Fostering a Strong Connection Between EPR, Ecodesign and Technological Innovation

While Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) is an important step towards circularity in the fashion industry, it should not be viewed as a standalone solution. As recognized in the new EU Textiles EPR Directive, EPR delivers the greatest impact when combined with ecodesign measures and broader innovation in the textiles sector. The Directive’s recitals underline the need to assess the feasibility of EU-wide targets for textile recycling, which would stimulate innovation, attract investment in recycling technologies, and create stronger ecodesign incentives. To this end, producers and their PROs will be required to finance research in this area, with a particular focus on fiber-to-fiber recycling. According to a 2025 EU Commission report, current textile-to-textile recycling rates stand at just 1% globally, resulting in limited availability of high-quality recycled fibers. However, with improved and scaled-up fiber-to-fiber recycling technologies, this rate could be increased to around 26% by 2030.

The EPR Directive also builds on existing Ecodesign requirements through its system of ecomodulation fees, which will be modelled on the criteria laid out in the EU Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (EU) 2024/1781 (ESPR). The ESPR came into force in July 2024, and it aims to make sustainable products the norm across the EU market. Textiles have been designated as a priority product group under the ESPR Working Plan, with the first implementing act expected for 2027. This will introduce requirements for textile recyclability, recycled content, durability, repairability, microplastic release, and the use of hazardous chemicals, among other aspects.

Timeline for the New Obligations

20 days after official publication of the text (expected for Q4 of 2025): The Directive enters into force
20 months after the entry into force of the Directive: Member States must implement the Directive in national law
30 months from the date of entry into force of the Directive (likely around April 2028): Member States must ensure that PROs have been set up
42 months after the date of entry into force of the Directive (likely around April 2029): Microenterprises have to comply with the EPR obligations
Producers do not have to pay for legacy textiles, they only pay for textiles placed on the market after the EPR scheme is established
By 31 December 2029: The EU Commission will review the effectiveness of the new scheme

Stay Ahead Of Regulatory Changes in Textiles EPR

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