The dates, with their sources
The EU readiness timeline, with every date sourced.
One entry per rule. Each entry names the regulation and the date it binds, then links to the source on EUR-Lex or the Commission. If a date here is wrong, the source shows it.
GPSR
Regulation (EU) 2023/988, the General Product Safety Regulation.
- Status
In force since 13 December 2024.
- Who it binds
Any business placing consumer products on the EU market, sellers outside the EU included. No size threshold.
- What it requires
An EU-established responsible person for each product, plus manufacturer identification and safety information shown in the listing itself.
Green claims
Directive (EU) 2024/825, the green-transition consumer directive, also called the ECGT.
- Status
Applies from 27 September 2026. Member states transpose it into national law by 27 March 2026.
- Who it binds
Any trader making environmental claims to consumers in the EU.
- What it requires
The directive restricts generic green wording that has no recognised proof behind it.
It also restricts carbon-neutral claims resting only on offsets. Uncertified sustainability labels are restricted too.
Battery passports
Regulation (EU) 2023/1542, the Batteries Regulation.
- Status
Battery passport required from 18 February 2027.
- Who it binds
Producers of specified batteries, including industrial batteries above 2 kWh and electric-vehicle batteries. Not apparel or general accessories.
- What it requires
A digital passport for each battery placed on the market from that date.
- Note
This is the "2027" date the vendor field often borrows for clothing. It belongs to batteries. If you sell apparel, it is not your date.
Textile digital product passports
The Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation, Regulation (EU) 2024/1781. The textile rules follow in a delegated act.
- Status
Not in force for textiles. The delegated act is expected around 2027; the obligation is expected around 2028 to 2029.
- Who it binds
Once the delegated act applies, businesses placing the covered textile products on the EU market. Nothing binds textile sellers today.
- What it requires
The data points are still a proposal. The JRC textile study, published 13 May 2026, sets out 49 data fields for a textile product, materials included. CEN standards are being written; none is harmonised yet.
We prepare this data now against the JRC 49-field draft, so the work is done before the date arrives. We keep a schema version on every record because the spec can still change.
Dates you may have seen that do not bind apparel
The wrong dates travel fast, so here are three worth checking.
- The "2027 textile deadline"
- No adopted EU text makes textile passports mandatory in 2027. The 2027 passport date is batteries, under Regulation (EU) 2023/1542. Textile passports wait on a delegated act that is not adopted.
- The Green Claims Directive
- This is a separate proposal from Directive (EU) 2024/825. It is still in the legislative process and binds no one yet. The dated rule on green claims is 2024/825, applying 27 September 2026.
- The EU Deforestation Regulation
- Regulation (EU) 2023/1115 covers a defined list of commodities and their derived products. Its start date has moved more than once; check the current one on EUR-Lex. Most apparel sits outside it, though some leather from cattle and some rubber can be caught.
Every date on this page links to its source. Run the checks. That is how you tell a real date from a borrowed one.