A digital product passport is an electronic ID card that stays with a garment for its whole life. Scan a small code on the care label and you can see what the piece is made of, where it was sewn, and how it can be repaired or recycled. A few years ago this looked like a tech luxury. In 2026 it is becoming a rule that will change how clothes are designed and sold in Europe, and beyond.
What is a digital product passport?
It is a digital record linked to one specific product, opened through a data carrier attached to the item itself: a QR code, an NFC chip or an RFID tag. EU rules require that carrier to stay on the product and remain accessible throughout its life, not just on the bag or receipt. Inside you will typically find fibre composition, place of manufacture, environmental information and, sometimes, links to repair or resale services.
What does this mean for you as a designer? The “story of the garment” is no longer a marketing line on Instagram. It becomes data that has to be accurate and verifiable. Every fabric and construction choice you make will be written down and visible to your customer.
Nobody’s Child: a British brand ahead of the law
One of the first brands to put the idea into practice was British label Nobody’s Child, working with retail technology company Fabacus. The pilot began in 2023 on the Happy Place collection with broadcaster Fearne Cotton, and returned for spring 2024 gathering more than 100 data points per item, reached by scanning a QR code on the care label.
The results were encouraging: the brand later extended passports to more than a hundred styles, with over 20,000 customer scans. Founder Andrew Xeni says the honesty and transparency have paid back in stronger customer loyalty.
The lesson for you: customers really do engage with honest information. A small brand can stand out on transparency before it becomes compulsory, instead of catching up later.
From niche labels to the supermarket: Tesco F&F
In August 2024 Tesco, Britain’s largest supermarket chain, announced a digital product passport pilot on its F&F clothing range, again with Fabacus, to prepare for EU legislation. Head of technical Joe Little described it as a step that encourages sustainable and circular practices.
What matters here is that the idea moved from specialist brands to affordable everyday clothing. Digital product passports will not stay a luxury feature; they are heading for every shop rail.
The EU timeline: when does it become mandatory?
The Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR), the legal framework for digital passports, came into force in July 2024. In July 2026 the European Commission’s digital product passport registry went live. Textile-specific rules are expected in 2027, with obligations applying after a transition period of at least 18 months.
ABI Research expects all apparel sold in Europe to need a digital passport by 2030, and forecasts more than 62.5 billion passports issued for the fashion sector worldwide that year.
What does this mean for you? The UK is outside the EU, but if you sell to customers in Europe, or design for a brand that does, you will be asked for this data sooner or later. Better to start organising it calmly now than under deadline pressure.
How to prepare now: practical steps
1. Document your materials. Ask suppliers for clear fibre composition and place of production for every fabric, and keep it in a file for each design alongside the pattern, trims and where it was sewn.
2. Design with end of life in mind. Single-fibre fabrics are easier to recycle than complex blends, as we explained in our article on elastane recycling. A passport will make these choices visible to everyone.
3. Use digital tools in your workflow. Organised files from the design stage, as in digital sampling, are exactly what will feed a passport later.
4. Start small. Put a QR code on your label that leads to a page on your website telling the garment’s story and how to care for it. It is simple, low-cost, and builds trust before anything is mandatory.
The bottom line
The digital product passport turns transparency in fashion from a slogan into a standard. The designer who understands her materials and documents her work today will be best placed tomorrow to work with major brands and European markets. That is the skill we care about at Anna Stella Academy: knowing everything in your garment, from the thread to the label.
