Circular Textiles That Work
Position Paper
ESPR, Digital Product Passports and Recycled Content
Europe’s transition to a circular textile sector is essential — but must be anchored in industrial reality, regulatory coherence, and material integrity.
The European Union’s Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) (Regulation (EU) 2024/1781) provides a new framework for sustainable product design and lifecycle transparency, including the introduction of Digital Product Passports (DPPs) for textiles and other product groups. (European Commission)
Febelsafe supports ambitious circular economy policy but warns that blanket recycled-content mandates across all textile product groups risk undermining safety, compliance and legal certainty unless they are tailored, traceable, and compatible with existing EU frameworks.
This position paper outlines:
- where recycled feedstock already works today
- where virgin material remains the regulatory default
- why DPPs are essential
- and how to design workable, scalable circular textile policy
