Joint call for a timely and targeted revision of the Textile Labelling Regulation (TLR)

We, the undersigned organisations, call on the European Commission to proceed with the targeted and timely revision of the Textile Labelling Regulation (TLR). It is essential to update key elements of the current framework and ensure the TLR can support and complement the emerging requirements of different EU textiles policies.

The current TLR has played an important role in ensuring that consumers receive harmonised information on the fibre composition of textile products across the EU. This function remains essential and should be preserved. However, the TLR was developed in a context where product information was static and primarily provided through physical labels. Since its adoption in 2011, the EU legislative framework for textiles has advanced considerably, making several core elements of the TLR outdated as they no longer reflect market realities, technological progress, or the evolving EU policy framework for textiles.

A targeted revision is therefore timely and necessary. It provides an opportunity to modernise the framework while preserving its core purpose: ensuring consumers receive essential information in a reliable and harmonised manner and ensuring that upcoming key pieces of legislation are properly implemented. In this context, it is also important to ensure a clear distinction between different information and labelling tools, avoid duplication with other instruments and ensure that new requirements do not add unnecessary complexity.

It is essential that the TLR remains a technical and focused piece of legislation. In this context, the revision should focus on a limited number of “must-have” elements, which are necessary to ensure that the Regulation can function effectively in today’s broader policy environment:

• A first key element is the update of existing technical rules. The list of authorised fibre names and the tolerance margins used to verify fibre composition were developed for conventional materials and do not reflect the increasing use of recycled, organic and novel materials. The current TLR tolerance margins for declaring fibre composition (2% for single-fibre products and 3% for multi-fibre products) do not reflect the variability of recycled fibres, making it difficult to communicate recycled content in a reliable way. The TLR therefore needs to be amended to accept higher tolerance margins. Updating these rules is necessary to ensure that fibre composition can be communicated accurately and consistently.
• A second priority is enabling the digitalisation of textile labelling and reducing the volume of mandatory content on the physical label. The current framework is built around physical labels, which are limited in the amount of information they can reasonably carry. Currently, the labels are bulky and multi-page, which causes consumers to remove or ignore them – evidence suggests approximately 70% of consumers cut out large labels (Ipsos-GINETEX, 2025) – undermining their informational purpose while adding unnecessary cost and material waste. The TLR revision should ensure that the physical label is restricted to essential information and enable additional information to be provided digitally. Moving towards digitalisation of labelling is also one of the key objectives of the EU’s 2025 Single Market Strategy.
• A third priority is addressing the fragmentation of the internal market caused by divergent national labelling requirements – including differing language mandates, national symbols, and label format rules. There is a need to harmonise the growing number of national interpretations and language requirements.
• Finally, it is important to ensure a clear distinction and avoid duplication between the different tools used to communicate information on textile products. The TLR should continue to define how core information such as fibre composition is communicated to consumers, and the Digital Product Passport (DPP) should carry broader ecodesign and product performance information. Lastly, before considering the introduction of any additional labelling requirements or information requirements for textiles, such as the ESPR label, priority should be given to proper development and implementation of the TLR and the DPP and to the assessment of the necessity and added value of such additional requirements within the overall framework.

In light of these considerations, we urge the Commission to proceed with a targeted and proportionate revision of the Textile Labelling Regulation, focusing on the key elements needed to modernise the framework, reduce unnecessary regulatory fragmentation across the internal market, and ensure that it can support the effective implementation of the EU’s broader textiles policy objectives.