Many entrepreneurs preparing for the digital product passport for textiles first think about the QR code itself: what does such a code cost, and who pays for it? The answer is that the code as such costs almost nothing. The costs are in applying it to the garment: the label or print that carries the code, the way it is integrated into the production process, and the agreements you make about this with your manufacturer or supplier.
The regulation stipulates that a data carrier must be on the product that refers to the passport, usually a QR code. How that code is technically generated and hosted is a different matter than how it physically ends up on the garment. The latter determines the largest part of the bill.
Where the amount comes from
Most clothing brands already have labels applied: a care instruction, a size label, sometimes a brand label. Adding a QR code to that same production step usually costs little extra, especially if it is a printed label that is already going through the machine anyway. If a separate, new label is added, then an additional step is added in production, and that affects the price per unit.
The material also plays a role. A woven label is more durable but more expensive than a printed label. A hang tag that hangs loosely on the garment is easy to replace if there is an error, but is lost more quickly than a permanently sewn-in label. Which form works best depends on the type of clothing and what the manufacturer is already used to producing.
The choices that determine the price
Volume is the most important factor. With large print runs, the price per label drops quickly, because the setup costs of the production line are divided over more units. With small series, such as a limited collection of corporate wear with a logo, that setup cost weighs more heavily per unit.
In addition, it matters whether the QR code is permanently linked to one article or whether the same code is used for an entire product line. The latter is cheaper to produce, but also means that the underlying data for that entire line must be correct. Those considering combining these kinds of choices with the rest of their purchasing are well advised to have this conversation early with the supplier, for example on the basis of the questions that are worked out in the knowledge base per subject.
What is separate from the physical code
It is good to keep two things apart. The first cost item is the physical label or print on the garment, with the production step that goes with it. The second cost item is the passport itself: compiling the data, hosting it for ten years, and generating the code that refers to that data. That second part runs through a platform such as texpas.eu and is separate from what the production factory charges for applying the label.
Anyone who conflates these two items will get a distorted picture of the total costs. An overview of what a subscription for the passport itself costs, separate from the production side, is on the pricing page.
What this means for your planning
Because the delegated act that makes the obligation concrete has not yet been published, there is no fixed date when these costs actually have to be incurred. The ESPR work plan mentions 2027 as the expected period for that act, with clothing that consists for eighty percent or more of textile fibres as the first category. This means there is room to incorporate this smoothly into a next production cycle, rather than treating it as a separate, rushed expense.
If you are already in talks with a manufacturer about labels, you can simply include the question about the QR code in that conversation. Manufacturers working internationally have often heard the question before and can indicate which options they already offer.
For anyone who wants to see how such cost items relate to the rest of the preparation, the free quick-scan is a logical starting point: in a few questions it becomes clear which components are relevant for your situation. If you are uncertain about a specific term or abbreviation that comes up in such conversations, then the overview of frequently asked questions is a quick place to look it up before you continue planning.