Textiles in the EU & UK
CERT provides specialist regulatory and technical support across all product sectors, including textiles. We help businesses navigate complex EU and UK requirements with clarity and confidence.
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Textiles are primarily regulated by Regulation (EU) No 1007/2011 on textile fibre names and related labelling and marking, which sets the official fibre‑name list, requires fibre‑composition labelling for most products containing at least 80% textile fibres by weight, and sets out how mixed‑fibre components must be declared across all stages of the supply chain, from fabric and yarn to finished garments and home textiles placed on the market.
In Great Britain, these rules are implemented and enforced through The Textile Products (Labelling and Fibre Composition) Regulations 2012, which require textile products to carry a fibre‑content label using the EU‑defined fibre names and percentages and provide for enforcement and sanctions where businesses fail to comply, with government guidance confirming that fibre‑content labelling remains mandatory and must be understandable to consumers.
Additional instruments address care symbols (via ISO 3758 / GINETEX schemes, widely used but voluntary unless contractually required) and specific product‑safety requirements such as children’s nightwear flammability, while the EU is in the process of revising Regulation 1007/2011 to support digital labelling, more detailed sustainability and circularity information, and harmonised requirements on aspects like size, origin, and environmental claims under its sustainable textiles strategy.
What counts as textiles
Textile products include clothing, home textiles (such as bedding, towels, curtains), accessories, and mixed‑material items where textiles form at least 80% of the weight. They also cover certain products with textile components (for example, furniture covers or textile parts of bags) where the fibre composition must still be declared to consumers.
Core obligations include:
Use only the official fibre names listed in Regulation (EU) No 1007/2011 (for example, “cotton”, “wool”, “polyester”, “elastane”) when declaring fibre composition.
State the fibre composition by percentage in descending order (for example, “80% cotton, 20% polyester”), including separate declarations for components with different compositions.
Ensure labels are durable, securely attached, legible, and available in the official language(s) of the country where the product is sold.
Keep technical records to demonstrate that the declared fibre composition matches the actual materials used.
Check that textile products they place on the UK or EU market carry compliant fibre‑content labels using permitted fibre names.
Ensure their own name and contact details are available where they are the economic operator responsible for making the product available.
Avoid changing labels or marketing in a way that misleads consumers about fibre composition, origin, or performance.