The fashion industry is undergoing a major transformation, on top of that there is a wave of new EU sustainability regulations.
While these laws may seem like challenges at first - and some are, they can offer an opportunity for brands to innovate and strengthen relationships with consumers. Whether you’re a corporate giant or a small fashion brand, understanding and embracing these regulations can help you stay ahead of the curve while building a more sustainable and profitable business. Whether you like them or not, they are coming.
In this blog we’ll list and introduce relevant new EU legislation important to all related businesses.
Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD)
The CSRD requires large companies to provide detailed reports on their sustainability efforts, focusing on Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) factors. Fashion brands affected by this directive must disclose their impact on the environment, their use of resources, and how they plan to minimize these impacts. This will likely include:
- Reporting on your carbon footprint and energy usage across supply chains.
- Detailed documentation of sustainable practices such as garment repair, resale, or upcycling programs.
- Transparent reporting on your workforce, including fair wages and working conditions.
By enforcing accountability, the CSRD encourages corporates to take a proactive approach to sustainability, ensuring they adopt long-term strategies that align with the EU’s climate and environmental goals.
Relevant for: A broader set of corporates, as well as listed SMEs. Some non-EU companies will also have to report if they generate over EUR 150 million in the EU market.
Learn more: CSRD Directive Overview
Right to Repair
The European Commission's Right to Repair legislation offers fashion brands a chance to strengthen relationships with their customers by promoting long-lasting products. By designing clothing that is durable and easy to repair, brands can offer value beyond the initial purchase. Providing repair services, spare parts, or easy access to repair information encourages repeat interactions, fostering customer loyalty and trust.
This approach not only helps reduce waste but also allows brands to position themselves as responsible and customer-focused. In the long term, it can create deeper connections as customers appreciate the ability to maintain and extend the life of their garments, rather than replacing them frequently. By integrating repairability into your business models, you can align with evolving consumer values around sustainability while building lasting customer relationships.
Relevant for: All fashion brands (applies across the board).
Learn more: EU Right to Repair
Digital Product Passport (DPP)
The DPP will soon require all fashion products sold in the EU to come with a digital "passport" containing information about the materials used, where they were sourced, and how they can be repaired or recycled. For fashion brands, this means:
- Providing detailed, transparent data about the sustainability of your products, including fabric origins, production methods, and repairability.
- Equipping customers with the knowledge needed to maintain, upcycle or repair their clothes, contributing to the circular economy.
This move towards full transparency benefits both consumers and brands. It helps buyers make informed, eco-friendly choices while building trust and brand loyalty for companies that prioritize sustainability.
Relevant for: All fashion brands.
Learn more: Digital Product Passport
Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive
This directive aims to reduce the environmental impact of packaging by pushing companies to minimize packaging waste and use more sustainable materials. For fashion brands, this means:
- Opting for recyclable or reusable packaging materials, or reducing packaging altogether.
- Implementing closed-loop systems where packaging can be returned, reused, or recycled by the consumer.
Brands adopting sustainable packaging not only comply with regulations but also gain an edge with consumers who prefer eco-friendly packaging. By cutting down on single-use plastics and using sustainable alternatives, fashion companies can significantly reduce their environmental footprint.
Relevant for: All fashion brands.
Learn more: Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive
Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR)
The ESPR is designed to ensure that products, including clothing, are more durable, reusable, repairable, and recyclable. Fashion brands will need to:
- Focus on creating garments that last longer, are easier to repair, and are made from materials that can be easily recycled or upcycled.
- Adopt circular design principles, making durability a key component of the design process to reduce waste in the long term.
This regulation promotes the production of high-quality garments that don’t need to be discarded after a few wears. By embracing these principles, brands can offer products that align with consumer demand for long-lasting, repairable fashion. Many brands have no insights or data of what happens with their product, or where it often breaks, after it has been sold. A repair service like MENDED’s gives you insight in unique data that enables you to design for repairability.
We wrote a separate blog about ESPR. Read it here.
Relevant for: All fashion brands.
Learn more: Ecodesign for Sustainable Products
EU Sustainable Textile Strategy and Circular Economy Action Plan
These initiatives aim to push the fashion industry toward circularity, where the life cycle of textiles is extended through reuse, recycling, and reduction of waste. Under the EU Sustainable Textile Strategy and Circular Economy Action Plan, fashion brands are expected to:
- Transition to sustainable materials, ensuring that textiles are made from resources that can be reused or recycled.
- Implement take-back programs for old garments, offering customers resale or recommerce options, and encouraging upcycling.
These actions can help brands minimize their environmental impact and support a broader shift toward a circular fashion economy, where waste is reduced, and resources are kept in circulation for as long as possible.
Relevant for: All fashion brands.
Learn more: Sustainable Textile Strategy
Waste Framework Directive
The Waste Framework Directive seeks to minimize waste generation and promote the reuse of materials. For fashion, this law encourages brands to:
- Adopt waste reduction strategies in production, ensuring that less fabric is wasted during the manufacturing process.
- Encourage recycling and repurposing of garments, offering customers easy ways to return or recycle old clothes.
By reducing textile waste, brands can play a role in moving the fashion industry toward a zero-waste model, while also appealing to environmentally minded customers.
Relevant for: All fashion brands.
Learn more: Waste Framework Directive
Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR)
The Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) law places the onus on brands to manage the full life cycle of their products, from production to end-of-life. For fashion brands, this means:
- Designing clothes that are easy to repair, recycle, or upcycle.
- Taking responsibility for the disposal or recycling of garments, ensuring they don’t end up in landfills.
Brands can turn this into an opportunity by introducing garment take-back programs, where they help consumers recycle or repurpose their old clothes. Not only does this comply with the law, but it also creates a strong sustainability narrative that resonates with today’s eco-conscious consumers.
Relevant for: All fashion brands (especially brands with high production volumes).
Learn more: Extended Producer Responsibility
* The concept of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) is part of the European Union's waste management policies. It is embedded in various directives such as the aforementioned Waste Directive Framework.
Good to know
While the Circular Economy Action Plan (CEAP) sets the overall direction for EU sustainability, how you’ll need to comply depends on your location. Directives like the Sustainable Textile Strategy, EPR, and Right to Repair can vary across EU countries.
For example, if your business operates in France, you’ll face advanced EPR laws and repairability scores, while Sweden offers tax breaks for repairs, and Germany enforces strict packaging rules. Knowing these differences can help you stay compliant and even uncover new business opportunities depending on where you operate.
We dive into the legislative hierarchy and the different implementations of EU-countries in our other blogs.
Do you want to know how implementing sustainable solutions like repair can help your brand extend customer loyalty and sales? Book a call and let us help you.
