The first delegated act under the ecodesign regulation focuses, as described in the European Commission's work plan, initially on clothing that consists of eighty percent or more textile fibres. Clothing with a lower share of textile fibres — think of jackets with a membrane, shoes with textile and rubber components, or clothing with sturdy non-textile reinforcements — therefore falls outside the first round for now. When those product groups come into scope is not yet determined; the act itself has yet to be published.
For your business, this mainly represents a sequence, not an exemption. The regulation itself covers textiles and clothing in a broad sense; the delegated act determines per product group when the obligation actually takes effect. Whoever now imports or places on the market clothing with well over eighty percent textile fibres — most T-shirts, shirts, trousers and jackets made of cotton, polyester or wool — is expected to fall under the obligation first. Whoever mainly imports technical clothing, workwear with reinforcements or blended products will probably come later, but that is no guarantee and certainly no reprieve for your entire range.
Where exactly the line is drawn
The eighty percent refers to the share of textile fibres in the product, not to the share of textiles in your turnover or range. A jacket of one hundred percent polyester thus falls well within the first group, even if you only sell a few. A technical vest with a large share of plastic reinforcement or a non-textile lining may instead fall below the threshold, even if you simply call it clothing. How the percentage is precisely determined and which parts of a garment count towards it will be set out in the text of the act once it is published. Until then, any assumption about this is premature, and it is wiser to go by the official text itself than by a rule of thumb.
What this means for a mixed range
Most clothing brands and importers do not carry a homogeneous collection. A webshop with basics and a line of technical outdoor clothing may soon find itself with part of its range falling under the obligation and part that is not yet in scope. This requires the ability to demonstrate per product group where an article stands on the basis of fibre composition, rather than providing one answer for the entire collection. Whoever builds that overview now will not have to do so under time pressure later. In the knowledge base by topic you will find explanations of concepts such as textiles and clothing, and of who in the supply chain precisely qualifies as a supplier once a product group becomes mandatory.
Why preparing now can be worthwhile
Even if part of your range is not yet in scope, it remains practical to know where you stand. Supplier data on fibre composition, material origin and care instructions are often currently scattered across invoices, certificates and emails; that does not change because a product group later falls under the obligation. With a brief scan that gives an indication per product group you gain visibility of which articles are expected to be affected first and what data is still missing for them, without needing to create an account first.
What is not yet finalised
The sequence from the Commission's work plan is a planning, not a fixed schedule with firm dates. The delegated act for clothing with eighty percent or more textile fibres is expected around 2027; when clothing with a lower percentage follows is not yet known. As soon as an act is published, that changes the date and possibly also the precise definition of what falls within the first group. How we monitor and process those publications is explained on the page about where our information comes from. For the question of how this applies to your own product or assortment, the official text on EUR-Lex, or a legal advisor, remains the appropriate point of contact; this article describes the system, not your specific situation.
Are you unsure whether part of your collection will fall under the obligation first or only later? Run the free quick-scan or read the other topics in the frequently asked questions about the textile passport to see which question comes closest to your situation.