EU Ecodesign Enters New Phase: Destruction of Unsold Clothing Banned, Digital Product Passport Registration Opens

Two major implementation steps under the European Union’s Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) came into effect in quick succession in July. As of 19 July 2026, the ban on destroying unsold apparel, clothing accessories and footwear began applying to large companies. One day later, on 20 July, the European Commission launched the Digital Product Passport (DPP) Registry together with its accompanying testing environment.

According to the Commission’s announcement, the DPP Registry provides the secure infrastructure in which businesses placing products on the EU market must register each digital product passport. The Registry holds products’ unique identifiers and the associated metadata, while detailed product data remains decentralised, held by businesses or DPP service providers. Six standards covering unique identifiers, interoperability, data carriers, application programming interfaces (APIs), data exchange protocols and data storage have also been published.

The current testing phase aims to ensure a smooth transition ahead of the first mandatory implementation deadline of 18 February 2027, which applies to certain types of large batteries. Textiles and apparel are among the priority product groups in the Commission’s 2025-2030 ecodesign working plan, while textile-specific DPP obligations will be defined through product-specific rules and transition periods.

Businesses can already test the registration process through a secure user interface or an API before product-specific obligations take effect. The Commission has also launched a new DPP website providing access to technical documentation, implementation guidelines and webinars, along with a dedicated helpdesk to support businesses.