You buy a new jumper and look at the label. It tells you the fibre mix and a country of manufacture, and almost nothing else. You cannot tell where the cotton was grown, whether the dye was safe, if the brand’s eco claims are true, or how to recycle the piece once it wears out. You are not alone in wanting more: in one survey, 69% of people said they would like to know how their clothes were made. That gap between what shoppers want to know and what a label says is about to close, thanks to the Digital Product Passport.

What Is a Digital Product Passport

A Digital Product Passport, or DPP, is a digital record tied to a specific item of clothing. Instead of a few lines on a sewn-in label, it holds detailed data about that garment: what it is made from, where its materials came from, its environmental impact, and how to care for, repair or recycle it. You reach it by scanning a code on the product, and the information opens on your phone. The European Parliament describes a passport as a set of data covering a product’s components, materials and information on repairability and disposal, drawn from every stage of its life. In short, it moves fashion from vague brand promises to clear, product-level facts.

How a Digital Product Passport Works 

The system rests on a few simple parts. The garment carries a unique identifier, usually a QR code or a small NFC chip in the label. That code links to a secure online record built up across the garment’s life, from raw fibre through spinning, weaving, dyeing and sewing, then distribution, and finally repair or recycling. Different people can scan the same code and see what is useful to them. A shopper checks materials and care guidance. A repairer finds maintenance details. A recycler reads the exact fibre make-up. One code, many uses.

Why This Matters for Sustainable Fashion 

The real value of a passport is what it makes possible. Clear sourcing and care information helps you buy better and look after what you own, which lowers your cost per wear, the price of a garment divided by the number of times you actually wear it. A well-made piece you keep for years works out far cheaper than a cheap one worn twice. Better care guidance also keeps clothes in use for longer and out of landfill, which matters when the world produces an estimated 92 million tonnes of textile waste a year. Passports also tackle greenwashing, because a brand has to back its claims with verified data rather than a vague green logo. For shoppers who care about where their clothes come from, like the community at Clotho London, it means real information instead of guesswork.

UK and EU Rules Driving the Change 

This is not just a voluntary idea. In the EU, the DPP is required under the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation, which sets the rules through a series of product-specific acts. The digital product passport in 2026 reaches an important milestone, as the EU’s central registry is due to be running from the middle of that year, with the battery passport in early 2027 as the first live example. The textiles rule is expected around 2027, with clothing passports following from 2028. It applies to anything sold in the EU, including items made elsewhere, so UK brands selling into Europe are firmly in scope. In the UK itself, the waste charity WRAP has set out a blueprint for a textiles scheme, with strong industry support for similar transparency rules here.

What This Means for Your Wardrobe 

For you, a passport turns shopping into a more informed choice. Before buying, you can scan to check what a garment is really made of and how durable it is, then favour pieces designed to last. Once it is yours, the same record gives proper care instructions, so you wash and store it correctly and avoid the mistakes that wear clothes out early. If something tears, repair details help you fix rather than bin it, and clear fibre information makes recycling far easier at the end. In short, passports help you choose better, care better, and keep each piece going for longer.

A Clearer Future for Your Wardrobe 

The frustration of knowing almost nothing about your own clothes is on its way out, though it will not happen overnight. Not every brand uses passports yet, and early on the quality of the information will vary, so some records will be fuller than others. Even so, the direction is set. The next time you shop, start checking product information more closely and lean towards brands that are open about how their clothes are made. Until passports are everywhere, learning which brands to trust is a strong first step.