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preparing your brand for the eu

How to Properly Label Textiles in the EU

Find out what every fashion and home textiles brand needs to know before selling in Europe, and exactly what to write on the label

Last updated

July 31, 2026

Regulation (EU) No 1007/2011

minutes reading time

In force

now

Make sure the labels on your textile products are EU ready with this guide.

You have spent months developing your collection. The fabric is sourced, the samples are approved, and you are ready to start selling in Europe. Then someone asks: is your label compliant for the EU market?

If you cannot answer that question with confidence, you are not alone. The EU Textile Labelling Regulation catches a surprising number of brands off guard, not because it is complicated, but because the details matter in ways that are easy to underestimate.

This article explains what the regulation requires, why it exists, and, most importantly, what you need to do before your first EU order ships.

EU textile labels are not a formality. They are a legal requirement that applies to every product, every market, every order, with no exceptions.

Why does the EU require textile labels?

The EU Textile Labelling Regulation (Regulation (EU) No 1007/2011) was introduced to provide consumers with reliable, standardised information about the materials used in their clothing. It ensures that when a consumer buys a garment labelled “100% Merino Wool” in Sweden or “65% Polyester, 35% Cotton” in Germany, they can trust that the information is accurate, consistently presented, and written in a language they can actually read.

The regulation is not about style or sustainability. It is specifically about fibre composition: what the fabric is made of, in what quantities, and in what order.

Does this apply to your brand?

Yes. If you place textile products on the EU market, this regulation applies to you. There is no minimum size threshold, no revenue exemption, and no grace period for new entrants. The rules apply from day one.

Textile products in scope include virtually all clothing, accessories, and home textiles with a fibre content of at least 80% by weight. This covers:

All clothing and garments
Accessories with significant textile content (scarves, hats, gloves, bags)
Home textiles (bedding, towels, curtains)

A few things are outside the scope of this regulation:

The textile parts of footwear (shoe uppers)
Products with less than 80% textile fibres by weight (e.g., some down-filled duvets)
Business-to-business sales

What exactly must go on the label?

The regulation has one mandatory requirement: the fibre composition of the textile product.

Everything else is either required by other regulations (GPSR traceability), strongly recommended (care instructions, size, country of origin), or optional.

Fibre composition

Every textile product must carry a label stating its full fibre composition using the exact fibre names defined in Annex I of the regulation. The label must:

List all fibres present in the product
State the percentage of each fibre, in descending order (highest percentage first)
Use the EU-approved fibre name, not trade names or marketing terms
Be accurate to within the manufacturer's tolerance of ±3 percentage points per fibre

Use EU fibre names, not trade names

The regulation specifies exact names for each fibre type. You cannot use trade names or brand names alone on EU labels, even if they are widely recognised.

Write “Lyocell”, not just “Tencel”
Write “Polyamide”, not just “Nylon”
Write “Elastane”, not just “Lycra”
Write “Viscose”, not just “Rayon”

The full list of approved fibre names is in Annex I of Regulation (EU) No 1007/2011.

The language rule

This is the requirement that catches the most non-EU brands off guard.

The fibre composition label must be written in the official language or languages of the EU member state where the product is sold.

This means English is not acceptable for most EU markets. A label written in English may be fine for Ireland, but it is not compliant for Sweden, Germany, France, Italy, Poland, or most other EU countries.

Selling across multiple EU countries?

You can include multiple languages on a single label. If you sell into Sweden, Germany, and France, your label can include all three simultaneously. Plan this into your label design before production.

One label, multiple languages: compliant and efficient
A single-language English label: not compliant for most EU markets

Fibre composition for complex products

Some products are more complicated than a single fabric, they may have linings, interlinings, separate parts, or decorative components. Here is how the regulation handles the most common situations:

Situation	What the label should say
Single fabric throughout	State the overall fibre composition, e.g. 100% Cotton
Garment with different fabrics and linings	Label each component separately, e.g. “Shell: 100% Polyester. Lining: 100% Viscose”
Product with decorative or minor components	Components making up less than 30% of the total product can be excluded, provided this is stated (e.g. “Exclusive of decoration”)
Any non-textile part of animal origin (leather, down, feathers, horn, bone)	The label must include the statement: “Contains non-textile parts of animal origin”

Label presentation and attachment

The regulation requires that labels are:

Durable: the label must remain legible throughout the product's normal use
Clearly legible: use a clear font, sufficient contrast, readable text size
Visible and accessible: consumers must be able to read it before purchase
Firmly attached: the label should not come off in normal use or washing

The regulation does not specify a minimum font size, a particular style, or a required label format.

What matters is that the fibre composition information is clearly separated from other information on the label (such as care instructions or brand name) and written in uniform lettering throughout.

What the regulation does NOT require, but you should include anyway

The Textile Labelling Regulation is specifically about fibre composition. It does not legally require you to include care instructions, size labelling, or country of origin. But here is the reality:

Information	Required by the Textile Labelling Regulation?
Fibre composition	Yes — mandatory
Fibre names in local language	Yes — mandatory
Care instructions (wash, iron, dry)	No, but expected by EU buyers and consumers
Size labelling	No, but expected by EU buyers and consumers (EU sizing conventions apply)
Country of origin	No, but expected by EU buyers and consumers
Brand name and contact details	No under this regulation, but required by GPSR (product safety law)
Batch or serial number	No under this regulation, but required by GPSR (product safety law)

Practical tip: the complete care label

EU buyers expect to see all of the following on a care label or hangtag, even where not all of it is legally required by the Textile Labelling Regulation:

Fibre composition: correct EU fibre names, in the right language, in descending percentage order
Care instructions: using ISO 3758:2023 international care symbols (washing, ironing, drying, dry cleaning, bleaching)
Size: appropriate for the target market
Country of origin
Brand name, address, and electronic contact: required by GPSR
Batch number: required by GPSR

You can fit all of this on a single care label and hangtag. Plan the format with your buyer before committing to a print run.

The five most common labelling mistakes and how to avoid them

1. Using English fibre names for non-English EU markets

Writing “100% Cotton” on a product sold in Sweden is not compliant. The label must say “100% Bomull.” This is the single most common labelling error we see from non-EU brands entering the market for the first time.

Fix: Create market-specific labels, or design a multi-language label that covers all your target markets from the start.

2. Using trade names instead of EU fibre names

“Tencel”, “Nylon” “Lycra”, “Spandex”, “Rayon”: these are brand names, not EU-approved fibre names. Your label must use the official names from Annex I of the regulation.

Fix: Before printing labels, cross-check every fibre name against the approved list. Your label printer or compliance consultant can verify this.

3. Inaccurate percentages

The regulation allows a manufacturer’s tolerance of ±3 percentage points per fibre. But if your label says 80% Cotton / 20% Polyester and the actual composition is 70% Cotton / 30% Polyester, that is a violation.

Fix: Obtain fibre composition certificates from your fabric supplier and ensure your labels reflect the certified composition, not an approximation.

4. Missing the “non-textile parts of animal origin” statement

A garment with leather trim, down filling, or bone buttons must include the specific statement about non-textile parts of animal origin. This is often omitted because brands do not realise it applies to small components.

Fix: Review every product for animal-origin components, no matter how minor, and add the statement where required.

5. Labels that fall off or become illegible

A label that peels off after one wash is not compliant. The regulation requires labels to be durable and to remain legible throughout normal use.

Fix: Wash-test your care labels before committing to a large production run. Woven labels are generally more durable than printed ones for care and composition information.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use “Mixed fibres” on the label if I don’t know the exact composition?

The term “Mixed fibres” or “Unspecified fibre composition” can be used when it is genuinely impossible to determine the composition at the time of manufacture. This should be used sparingly and on a case-by-case basis, not as a default to avoid specifying composition.

Does a feather duvet need to comply with the Textile Labelling Regulation?

Only if it contains at least 80% textile fibres by weight. If the down and feather filling makes up more than 20% of the total weight, the product falls outside the scope of the regulation. However, the textile components of the duvet cover are still in scope.

Do I need to label products sold through an online store differently from products sold in physical shops?

For online sales, the regulation requires that fibre composition information is available to consumers before purchase — it must appear in the product page, together with other product information such as price. The composition must be present in the listing itself. Physical products still need a compliant label when they are delivered.

Can I put the label on the packaging instead of the garment?

In limited cases, yes — if attaching a label directly to the product would damage or ruin it. But in most cases, the label should be on the product itself.

Do I need a label on every hand of a pair of gloves?

No. When two gloves have the same fibre composition and are sold as a single unit, labelling one glove is sufficient. The label must still be visible before purchase.

Key resources

To go deeper, the following sources are authoritative and publicly accessible:

Bergstrand’s free EU Compliance Guide
Regulation (EU) No 1007/2011: the Textile Labelling Regulation in full: eur-lex.europa.eu
European Commission textile sector guidance: ec.europa.eu/growth/sectors/fashion/textiles-clothing
Approved EU fibre names: Annex I of Regulation (EU) No 1007/2011
ISO 3758:2023 care labelling symbols: iso.org
Swedish Consumer Agency (Konsumentverke) guidance for the Swedish market: https://www.konsumentverket.se/omrade/klader-och-skor/

If labelling caught you unprepared, know that it is the most straightforward of the many sustainability requirements of brands that want to sell in the EU

The EU is a $90 billion opportunity for fashion and textile brands — but one that has the most scrutiny of the sustainability credentials of the garments and products that come in.

Before your first order ships you also need an EU-established Responsible Person, GPSR traceability on every item, no infringing environmental claims, EPR registration in each country you sell into and much more.

Labelling is the one that is easiest to correct — even with tight deadlines. The others are where brands can lose precious seasonal windows — without qualified assistance.

Build a sustainability strategy that works

You need practical solutions for compliance, traceability, and materials from experts that specialise in fashion and textiles.

Tell us where your brand stands today and we will map out the next steps.

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