EU textile rules and producer responsibility explained

The EU textile strategy: the goal of clothes that last

The groundwork was laid in 2022, when the European Commission presented its strategy for sustainable and circular textiles. The vision for 2030 is clear: textiles sold in the EU should be durable, repairable and recyclable, made largely from recycled fibres, free of hazardous substances, and produced with respect for social and environmental rights. The aim is to end throwaway fashion and make it pay to build clothes that live a long time. The strategy is the umbrella under which the concrete rules below sit.

Producer responsibility (EPR): the maker pays for the whole life cycle

At the heart of the new framework is extended producer responsibility, or EPR. Through the revision of the EU Waste Framework Directive, producers and importers who place textiles on the market become responsible for the garments even after they are discarded.

• Producers must help finance the collection, sorting, reuse and recycling of textiles.
• The fee is 'eco-modulated': lower for garments that are durable, repairable and recyclable, higher for short-lived design.
• The cost of textile waste shifts from municipalities and consumers onto those who make the clothes.
• The result is meant to be a direct financial reason for brands to make better, longer-lasting clothes.

Ecodesign and the digital product passport

The Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) entered into force in 2024 and lets the EU set concrete requirements for textiles – such as minimum durability, repairability, recycled content and limits on harmful substances. It also introduces the digital product passport: a digital record, often reached by scanning a QR code, that tells you what a garment is made of, where it was produced, how to care for it, how repairable it is and how to recycle it. For you, that means more reliable information both when you buy and when the garment eventually wears out.

No more destroying unsold clothes, plus separate collection

The framework also tackles waste directly. ESPR introduces a ban on destroying unsold consumer textiles and footwear, applying first to large companies and phasing in for smaller ones. At the same time, since January 2025 EU countries have had to collect textiles separately from other household waste, so worn-out clothes go to sorting and recycling rather than straight into residual waste. Together these close two big leaks: clothes burned unsold, and clothes lost to the bin before they can be reused.

Does this apply in Norway?

Norway is part of the EEA, not the EU, so EU regulations do not automatically become Norwegian law. But large parts of the textile and waste framework are EEA-relevant, and Norway tends to adopt equivalent rules. Norway has already introduced a requirement to sort textiles separately, in line with the EU direction, and producer responsibility for textiles is expected to follow here too. In practice the same shift – durable, repairable and traceable clothing, with responsibility placed on the producer – is coming to the Norwegian market.

What you can do right now

You do not have to wait for the rules to take full effect. The whole direction of the policy – durability, repairability and more wears per garment – is something you can act on today, and it is also the single most effective thing an individual can do: keep the clothes you already own in use for longer. Choose well-built pieces, care for them properly, and repair or alter them instead of replacing them. If a garment you want to keep needs a repair or an adjustment to carry on, we can take the job. You order online, and you see the price before you order.

Frequently asked questions