REFERENCE · TIMELINE
The DPP Master Timeline: Key EU Dates From 2024 to 2030
Some EU dates already apply: the ban on destroying unsold apparel (from 19 July 2026; medium-sized firms from 2030, micro and small exempt) and PFHxA limits for clothing, related accessories and footwear for the general public (since 10 October 2026). Next fixed ESPR date: 2 March 2027. Textile act adoption is indicative for Q3–Q4 2027; application follows around 2029.
Selected EU dates, 2024–2030
- ESPR in force18 July 2024
- Destruction ban19 July 2026
- Disclosure format2 March 2027
- Textile act adoptionQ3–Q4 2027Indicative
- Passport appliesAround 2029
- Medium-firm ban19 July 2030
Adoption is not the compliance date (ESPR Art. 4(4))
What you need to know
- 1
The destruction ban already applies.
Destroying unsold apparel, clothing accessories and footwear listed in Annex VII is prohibited from 19 July 2026 (Art. 25(1)). It does not apply to micro and small enterprises and applies to medium-sized ones from 19 July 2030. §1
- 2
Registry live; six standards referenced.
The Commission lists the DPP Registry as operational from 20 July 2026. References of six harmonised DPP standards were published on 15 July 2026; two more are listed for November 2026 (indicative). §1
- 3
Not only DPP dates.
Member States must apply the national EmpCo rules, including on generic environmental claims, from 27 September 2026. PFHxA limits have applied since 10 October 2026. Leather left the EUDR scope on 18 September 2026. §1
- 4
The next fixed dates.
Most EUDR obligations start on 30 December 2026 (30 June 2027 for certain natural persons and micro and small undertakings, except wood-based products). Implementing rules on the disclosure format for discarded unsold products apply from 2 March 2027. §2
- 5
Adoption is not compliance.
The Commission’s DPP page lists adoption of the textile act for Q3–Q4 2027, its textile-apparel page Q4 2027; both indicative. Under ESPR Art. 4(4), application is no earlier than 18 months after entry into force, with exceptions. §3
- 6
These dates can move.
Both the adoption timing and the 2029 figure could change. §4
What to do now
Track 2 March 2027.
Nearest fixed ESPR date on the page. §3
Watch the textile act’s adoption.
Indicative Q3–Q4 2027; no date is fixed. §3
Check your company size.
It decides when the destruction ban applies to you. §1
When does this apply to fashion?
Today
Not yet
No ESPR delegated act for textiles has been adopted, and no date of application has been published.
Indicative
Q3–Q4 2027
Commission pages list adoption of the textile act (Q4 2027 on the textile page). No date is fixed.
Application
Around 2029
About 18 months after the delegated act enters into force (ESPR Art. 4(4)), if it is adopted in the second half of 2027.
Status of the guide: 20 October 2026. Based on ESPR (Regulation (EU) 2024/1781), Articles 4(4), 13, 24 and 25; Directive (EU) 2024/825; Regulation (EU) 2024/2462; Regulation (EU) 2023/1115 and Delegated Regulation (EU) 2026/2102; Commission DPP pages. A simplified summary: the full guide below and the EU texts are authoritative. General information only, not legal advice. Read the full notice.
Everything below is the complete, sourced guide. ↑ Back to the short version
This page puts into one place the EU dates that affect a fashion brand's compliance calendar between 2024 and 2030, so that a compliance team does not have to look through several guides to answer one question: what happens, and when. Each date below is taken from an EU source named in the Sources section — EUR-Lex, the European Commission's Digital Product Passport (DPP) pages, or the Joint Research Centre (JRC) — last checked on 3 October 2026. Some dates are fixed in legal texts. Some are labelled "indicative" by the Commission, and this page says so wherever that applies. One entry is a date derived from a legal rule, and it is marked as such.
It is not only a DPP timeline. The dates on this page come from at least four separate legal acts — the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR, Regulation (EU) 2024/1781), Directive (EU) 2024/825 on empowering consumers for the green transition (referred to on this site as "EmpCo"), the REACH restriction on PFHxA (Commission Regulation (EU) 2024/2462), and a change to the scope of the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR, Delegated Regulation (EU) 2026/2102). This page is not a complete list of EU deadlines: it covers the dates found in the sources listed at the end.
2 Mar 2027
The nearest fixed ESPR date still ahead on this page: Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/2 (details and format for the disclosure of information on discarded unsold consumer products) starts to apply. Most EUDR obligations start earlier, on 30 December 2026 (30 June 2027 for certain natural persons and micro and small undertakings; see the table). The PFHxA limits of REACH Annex XVII entry 79, paragraph 1, have applied since 10 October 2026.
Q3–Q4 2027
The Commission's DPP page lists the adoption of the ESPR delegated acts for textiles, aluminium and tyres in this period; its textile-apparel page says Q4 2027; both are indicative. Adoption is not the date from which compliance is mandatory.
Around 2029
Follows from the general rule in ESPR Article 4(4) (not earlier than 18 months from the delegated act's entry into force).
Already in force, or already happened
Everything in this table has already occurred as of 20 October 2026.
| When | What happened | Under |
|---|---|---|
| 26 March 2024 | Directive (EU) 2024/825 (EmpCo) enters into force on the twentieth day following its publication in the Official Journal (published 6 March 2024). | EmpCo Art. 5 |
| 18 July 2024 | ESPR (Regulation (EU) 2024/1781) enters into force on the twentieth day following its publication in the Official Journal (published 28 June 2024). | ESPR Art. 80 |
| 16 April 2025 | The Commission adopts the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products and Energy Labelling Working Plan 2025–2030 (COM(2025) 187), which lists textiles/apparel, tyres and aluminium with an indicative timeline for adoption of 2027. | EC Working Plan |
| 9 February 2026 | The Commission adopts Delegated Regulation (EU) 2026/296, setting out derogations from the prohibition of destruction of unsold consumer products (published in the Official Journal on 22 April 2026). | Delegated Reg. (EU) 2026/296 |
| 27 March 2026 | Deadline for Member States to adopt and publish the measures necessary to comply with Directive (EU) 2024/825 (EmpCo). | EmpCo Art. 4(1) |
| 30 March 2026 | Stakeholder consultation for the 3rd milestone of the JRC's textile preparatory study closes. | JRC |
| 13 May 2026 | The JRC documents page for the textile product group lists the "Study on DPP content for textile apparel products under ESPR" with the date 13 May 2026; it is a non-binding external study prepared for the Joint Research Centre and watermarked as a draft. | JRC |
| 13 July 2026 | The Commission adopts Delegated Regulation (EU) 2026/2102 amending Regulation (EU) 2023/1115 (EUDR); among other changes, it deletes the entries "ex 4101", "ex 4104" and "ex 4107" (cattle hides, skins and leather) from Annex I (see 18 September 2026). | EUDR |
| 15 July 2026 | Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2026/1736 of 14 July 2026, published in the Official Journal on 15 July 2026, publishes the references of six harmonised standards for digital product passports (EN 18216, EN 18219, EN 18220, EN 18221, EN 18222 and EN 18223, all :2026), drafted by CEN, Cenelec and ETSI. Under ESPR Article 41(2), digital product passports in conformity with harmonised standards whose references have been published in the Official Journal are presumed to conform with Articles 10 and 11 to the extent those standards cover the requirements. The Commission's DPP page lists a further Implementing Decision on the remaining two DPP standards for November 2026. | Implementing Decision (EU) 2026/1736; ESPR Art. 41(2) |
| 19 July 2026 | The prohibition on destroying the unsold consumer products listed in ESPR Annex VII (apparel and clothing accessories; footwear) applies from 19 July 2026 (Article 25(1)); it does not apply to micro and small enterprises and applies to medium-sized enterprises from 19 July 2030 (under ESPR Article 2, the definitions of 'SMEs', 'small enterprises' and 'microenterprises' in Article 2(1), (2) and (3), respectively, of Annex I to Commission Recommendation 2003/361/EC apply). The disclosure obligation in Article 24(1) likewise does not apply to micro and small enterprises and applies to medium-sized enterprises from 19 July 2030; its first disclosure covers unsold consumer products discarded during "the first full financial year during which this Regulation is in force". Delegated Regulation (EU) 2026/296, which sets out derogations from the prohibition, applies from 19 July 2026 (Article 6). | ESPR Art. 24(1), Art. 25(1); Delegated Reg. (EU) 2026/296 Art. 6 |
| 20 July 2026 | The Commission's DPP page lists the DPP Registry as operational from 20 July 2026; ESPR Article 13(1) required the Commission to set up the registry by 19 July 2026. | ESPR Art. 13(1); Commission DPP page |
| 17 September 2026 | Delegated Regulation (EU) 2026/2102 is published in the Official Journal. | EUDR |
| 18 September 2026 | Delegated Regulation (EU) 2026/2102 enters into force (Article 2: the day following its publication). It deletes the entries "ex 4101" (raw hides and skins of cattle), "ex 4104" (tanned or crust hides and skins of cattle) and "ex 4107" (leather of cattle, further prepared after tanning or crusting) from Annex I to Regulation (EU) 2023/1115 (EUDR). | EUDR; Delegated Reg. (EU) 2026/2102 Art. 2 |
| 27 September 2026 | From this date, Member States must apply the national measures transposing Directive (EU) 2024/825 (EmpCo), including its addition of point 4a (generic environmental claims) to Annex I of the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive (UCPD) (recital 9 lists "eco-friendly" and "green" as examples). This was one day before this page was published. | EmpCo Art. 4(1) |
| 10 October 2026 | REACH Annex XVII entry 79, paragraph 1 (added by Commission Regulation (EU) 2024/2462) applies from this date: PFHxA, its salts and PFHxA-related substances may not be placed on the market or used at or above 25 ppb (sum of PFHxA and its salts) or 1 000 ppb (sum of PFHxA-related substances), measured in homogeneous material, in textiles, leather, furs and hides in clothing and related accessories for the general public, or in footwear for the general public (paragraph 1 also lists other product types). Paragraph 1 does not apply to articles and mixtures placed on the market before 10 October 2026 (paragraph 7), to the products excluded in paragraph 3, or to the substances described in paragraph 6; the entry also excludes certain substances from the designation. | Commission Reg. (EU) 2024/2462, Annex, entry 79 |
The highlighted row is the most recent deadline to have passed as of 20 October 2026 — not a projection, something that has already happened.
Still ahead
Everything below is still in the future as of 20 October 2026 (this page was first published on 28 September 2026; the Commission's DPP page, which supplies the indicative entries, was re-read on 20 October 2026). Where the Commission itself labels a date "indicative," this table says so; other dates are fixed in legal texts. One entry (marked below) is a date derived from a legal rule, not a date the Commission has published.
| When | What happens | Under |
|---|---|---|
| November 2026 (indicative) | Implementing Decision on the remaining two DPP standards, as listed on the Commission's DPP page (the page listed September 2026 when it was consulted on 2 October 2026 and November 2026 when it was consulted again on 17 October 2026). | Commission DPP page |
| Q4 2026 (indicative) | Adoption of the ESPR Delegated Act for Iron and Steel and an Implementing Act for battery access rights, as listed on the Commission's DPP page — not textile milestones, shown for context. | ESPR; Reg. (EU) 2023/1542 (Commission DPP page) |
| 30 December 2026 | Most obligations of the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR, Regulation (EU) 2023/1115) start to apply: Articles 3 to 13, 16 to 24, 26, 31 and 32 (Article 38(2), subject to Article 38(3); see 30 June 2027 below), including the due diligence obligations of Articles 4 and 8 to 11. For fashion brands this concerns EUDR-covered products such as natural rubber or wood-based materials (for example hangers or paper-based packaging); leather left EUDR's scope on 18 September 2026 (see that date above). | EUDR Art. 38(2) |
| 18 February 2027 | From this date each light means of transport (LMT) battery, each industrial battery with a capacity greater than 2 kWh and each electric vehicle battery placed on the market or put into service must have an electronic record ("battery passport") (Article 77(1)). The Commission's DPP page says: "Batteries are the first product group for which a DPP will become mandatory in the European Union." Context, not textile-specific. | Batteries Reg. (EU) 2023/1542 Art. 77(1) |
| 2 March 2027 | Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/2 (details and format for the disclosure of information on discarded unsold consumer products) starts to apply (Article 7). It applies to products discarded in each financial year from the first full financial year after the date of application, with disclosure within 12 months after the end of that financial year (Article 1). | Implementing Reg. (EU) 2026/2 |
| Q2 2027 (indicative) | Delegated Act for DPP Service Providers and Delegated Act for Construction Materials — context, not textile-specific. | ESPR / Construction Products Regulation |
| 30 June 2027 | Under Article 38(3), the articles listed in Article 38(2) apply from this date, instead of 30 December 2026, to operators that are natural persons or micro or small undertakings within the meaning of Article 3(1) or Article 3(2), first subparagraph, respectively, of Directive 2013/34/EU, irrespective of their legal form, and that were established as such by 31 December 2024 — except as regards products covered by the Annex to Regulation (EU) No 995/2010 (the former EU Timber Regulation). | EUDR Art. 38(3) |
| Q3 2027 (indicative) | Delegated Act for DPP Service Providers (the Commission's DPP page lists it under both Q2 2027 and Q3 2027). | ESPR |
| 10 October 2027 | The same limits apply to textiles, leather, furs and hides, other than in clothing and related accessories referred to in paragraph 1, for the general public (entry 79, paragraph 2), subject to the exclusions in paragraphs 3 and 6; paragraph 2 does not apply to articles placed on the market before 10 October 2027 (paragraph 8). | Commission Reg. (EU) 2024/2462, Annex, entry 79 |
| Q3–Q4 2027 (indicative) | The Commission's DPP page lists the adoption of the ESPR Delegated Acts for Textiles, Aluminium and Tyres under "Q3–Q4 2027"; its textile-apparel page says "Q4 2027: Planned adoption of the ESPR Delegated Act for textiles". Adoption, not the date from which compliance is mandatory — see the calculation below. | ESPR; Commission DPP pages |
| 2028 (indicative) | ESPR Delegated Act for Furniture adopted — context. | ESPR |
| 2029 (indicative) | ESPR Delegated Acts for Mattresses and for Recycled Content adopted — context. | ESPR |
| Around 2029 | If the delegated act for textiles were adopted in the Q3–Q4 2027 period listed by the Commission, the general rule in ESPR Article 4(4) — under which a delegated act's date of application "shall not be earlier than 18 months from its entry into force" — would point to around 2029. Article 4(4) allows an earlier date of application in duly justified cases and in cases of partial repeal or amendment of delegated acts. | ESPR Art. 4(4) |
| 19 July 2030 | The prohibition on destroying unsold consumer products listed in Annex VII and the disclosure obligation apply to medium-sized enterprises (Articles 25(1) and 24(1)). Micro and small enterprises are excluded; under Article 25(5), delegated acts may provide that the prohibition or the disclosure obligation apply to micro and small enterprises "where there is sufficient evidence that such enterprises could be used to circumvent that prohibition or that obligation". | ESPR Art. 24(1), 25(1), 25(5) |
The shaded row is the nearest fixed legal date still ahead; the bold rows are the three dates summarised below. "Indicative" is the word the Commission uses for its timelines.
If you only track three dates
Everything above is for reference. If a compliance team can only track three dates going into 2027, these are the three we would pick:
Three dates we suggest tracking
- 2 March 2027 — the nearest fixed ESPR date still ahead on this page: Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/2 (details and format for the disclosure of information on discarded unsold consumer products) starts to apply (Article 7). If you place EUDR-covered products such as natural rubber or wood-based materials on the market, most EUDR obligations start earlier, on 30 December 2026 (30 June 2027 for certain natural persons and micro and small undertakings; see the table). The PFHxA limits of REACH Annex XVII entry 79, paragraph 1, have applied since 10 October 2026.
- Q3–Q4 2027 (indicative) — the Commission's DPP page lists the adoption of the ESPR delegated acts for textiles, aluminium and tyres in this period; its textile-apparel page says "Q4 2027: Planned adoption of the ESPR Delegated Act for textiles". This is adoption, not the date from which compliance is mandatory.
- Around 2029 — from the general rule in ESPR Article 4(4): a delegated act's date of application "shall not be earlier than 18 months from its entry into force", with exceptions.
How the 2029 figure is calculated
- ESPR Article 4(4): "The date of application of a delegated act shall not be earlier than 18 months from its entry into force, except in duly justified cases for the whole act or for some specific requirements, or except in cases of partial repeal or amendment of delegated acts, where an earlier date of application may be set."
- Under ESPR Article 72(6), a delegated act adopted pursuant to Article 4 enters into force only if no objection has been expressed by the European Parliament or the Council within two months of notification (a period extended by two months at the initiative of either), or if, before that period expires, both have informed the Commission that they will not object. Under the general rule, the date of application is then not earlier than 18 months after the entry into force, which points to around 2029 for a delegated act adopted in the Q3–Q4 2027 period. The Commission has not published an application date, and no delegated act for textiles has been adopted.
- The Commission's DPP page states: "Following the adoption of ESPR delegated acts, economic operators will have a transition period of at least 18 months."
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Book a Demo Call →How the Q3–Q4 2027 and 2029 dates could change
No adoption date has been fixed for the textile (apparel) delegated act. The Commission's first ESPR Working Plan (April 2025) gives 2027 as the indicative year; its Digital Product Passport pages list adoption for Q3–Q4 2027 (DPP timeline, together with aluminium and tyres) and for Q4 2027 (textile-apparel page), both marked indicative. The Commission's textile-apparel page also says that "Implementation timelines may evolve as legislative and technical work progresses", and section 2 of the "Study on DPP content for textile apparel products under ESPR" (13 May 2026), a non-binding external study prepared for the Joint Research Centre and watermarked as a draft, states that a DPP is expected to be introduced for textile apparel through a forthcoming delegated act under the ESPR, tentatively in 2027.
As of 13 October 2026, the Commission's Have Your Say entry for the act (initiative 16116, published 18 December 2025 and not updated since) still shows "First quarter 2027" for adoption and "Fourth quarter 2025" for a public consultation that has not opened; none of the 2026 Commission or JRC documents reviewed repeats that date.
ESPR Article 4(4) provides that a delegated act's date of application shall not be earlier than 18 months from its entry into force, except in duly justified cases; for an act adopted in the second half of 2027 that points to around 2029. Both the adoption timing and the 2029 figure could change: the adoption timing if the Commission revises its timeline, and the 2029 figure if the delegated act is adopted at a different time or sets a different date of application. For the fuller, action-oriented version of the same underlying facts, see our DPP Readiness Checklist.
Frequently asked questions
What is the next EU legal date on this page that affects fashion brands?
When does the Digital Product Passport actually become mandatory for clothing?
Is the EU Digital Product Passport Registry already live?
Does the unsold-goods destruction ban already apply to my brand?
What do the legal texts say about "eco-friendly" and "sustainable" claims after September 2026?
Why does a "DPP timeline" page cover PFAS and deforestation rules too?
Sources
- ESPR core framework, delegated acts, destruction banRegulation (EU) 2024/1781, Article 2 (definitions), Article 4(4) (date of application of delegated acts), Article 9(1) (digital product passport), Article 13 (registry), Article 72(6) (entry into force of delegated acts), Articles 24–25 and Annex VII (disclosure of unsold consumer products; destruction ban), Article 41(2) (harmonised standards), Article 80 (entry into force). CELEX 32024R1781 ↗
- Commission DPP timelineEuropean Commission, "Digital Product Passport" hub page — the "DPP timeline" (registry dates, standards decisions, and the schedule for batteries, iron and steel, construction products, service providers, textiles/aluminium/tyres, furniture and mattresses), consulted 2 October 2026 and again on 17 and 20 October 2026; and the "Textile apparel" DPP page (single-market-economy.ec.europa.eu/single-market/digital-product-passport/textile-apparel_en). single-market-economy.ec.europa.eu ↗
- JRC preparatory study, textiles — milestone tableJoint Research Centre, Product Bureau, project plan for textile products (product group 467) — full milestone table, 4th milestone dated "To be communicated" as of 2 October 2026; the same site's documents page lists the "Study on DPP content for textile apparel products under ESPR" (2026-05-13). susproc.jrc.ec.europa.eu ↗
- External study prepared for the JRC — proposed DPP data content (draft)González-Torres, M. and Arcipowska, A., "Study on DPP content for textile apparel products under ESPR" (13 May 2026), section 2, consulted 13 October 2026. The document is a non-binding external study prepared for the Joint Research Centre, listed by the JRC with the date 13 May 2026 and watermarked as a draft. susproc.jrc.ec.europa.eu ↗
- Have Your Say — initiative 16116European Commission, Have Your Say portal, initiative 16116 "Ecodesign requirements for sustainable and circular apparel textiles" (delegated regulation; fields for planned adoption and public consultation), English version consulted 13 October 2026. ec.europa.eu ↗
- EmpCo — Directive (EU) 2024/825Directive (EU) 2024/825, Article 4(1) (Member States adopt and publish measures by 27 March 2026 and apply them from 27 September 2026), Article 5 (entry into force), Article 1 (UCPD Article 2(s)) and the Annex (UCPD Annex I point 4a) and recitals 9 and 10; Directive 2005/29/EC (UCPD). CELEX 32024L0825 ↗
- REACH — PFHxA restrictionCommission Regulation (EU) 2024/2462 of 19 September 2024 amending Annex XVII to Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 as regards undecafluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA), its salts and PFHxA-related substances (OJ L, 2024/2462, 20.9.2024), Annex, entry 79. CELEX 32024R2462 ↗
- EUDR — leather removed from scopeCommission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2026/2102 of 13 July 2026 amending Regulation (EU) 2023/1115 as regards the list of relevant commodities and relevant products (OJ L, 2026/2102, 17.9.2026). CELEX 32026R2102 ↗
- EUDR — application datesRegulation (EU) 2023/1115 (EUDR), consolidated version of 18 September 2026, Article 38 (entry into force and date of application); the consolidated text is an unofficial documentation tool. CELEX 02023R1115-20260918 ↗
- Other legal acts and documents citedCommission Implementing Decision (EU) 2026/1736 (OJ L, 15.7.2026); Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/2 (OJ L, 10.2.2026); Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2026/296 (OJ L, 22.4.2026; Article 6: applies from 19 July 2026); Regulation (EU) 2023/1542 (Batteries), Article 77(1); Commission Communication COM(2025) 187 final of 16.4.2025, "Ecodesign for Sustainable Products and Energy Labelling Working Plan 2025-2030".
Sources were last checked on 3 October 2026, except the external study prepared for the JRC (13 May 2026) and the Have Your Say entry for initiative 16116, which were consulted on 13 October 2026, and the Commission DPP timeline, which was checked again on 17 and 20 October 2026. The consolidated text of Regulation (EU) 2023/1115 (EUDR) was read on 20 October 2026. Consolidated legal texts are unofficial documentation tools per EUR-Lex's own disclaimer, with the Official Journal as the authentic source. The Commission states on its DPP page: "This is an indicative timeline and is subject to publication requirements." The timeline may change — see "How the Q3–Q4 2027 and 2029 dates could change" above. This is general information, not legal, financial or investment advice.