Navigating global textile regulations and compliance

Textile businesses are under increasing regulatory pressure to address chemical hazards, product labeling, waste, and sustainability. From the European Union to California, authorities are introducing stricter mandates that regulate how textile products are designed, labeled, and disposed of — often with significant implications for chemicals management.  

In a partnership webinar with World Textile Information Network (WTiN), Enhesa’s Stacey Bowers, Global Product Compliance Manager for Product Intelligence, and Colleen McLoughlin, Director of Toxicology and Interdisciplinary Sciences for Sustainable Chemistry, shared expert insights into the evolving regulatory trends.  

They explored the key trends impacting the textiles industry right now and discussed how businesses can move from a reactive compliance approach to building resilient chemicals management strategies to stay ahead in compliance.

Key regulations impacting the textile industry

As global regulatory frameworks evolve, textile businesses are under growing pressure to meet stricter standards around sustainability, chemical safety, and transparency. Here are some of the most significant developments:
 

Ecodesign: Safer, more sustainable products 

In Europe, the European Commission is advancing its ecodesign regulations with a focus on safer chemical use and reducing environmental impact. 
 

ESPR Working Plan 2025-2030 

In April 2025, the European Commission adopted the 2025-2030 working plan for the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR). The plan expands the list of product categories subject to new ecodesign and energy labeling requirements over the next five years — and now includes textile products. 

Textiles, particularly apparel, have been prioritized due to the potential to deliver on circular economy goals. These include improved waste management, recyclability and reusability, and durability of materials. 

The ESPR working plan outlines requirements in two key areas: 

1. Product performance, such as minimum durability, energy and resource efficiency, availability of spare parts, and use of recycled content. 
2. Product information, including disclosure of a product’s carbon and environmental footprint, primarily via the EU’s new Digital Product Passport (DPP) scheme 

Learn more in our whitepaper on the Digital Product Passport.
 

EU draft regulation on unsold sustainable products 

Also impacting the textiles sector in Europe is the EU’s draft regulation on unsold sustainable products.  

On 30 June 2025, the EU issued a draft regulation setting out ecodesign requirements for sustainable products, detailing provisions that restrict the destruction of unsold consumer products. Apparel and footwear are among the key categories covered.  

Starting 19 July 2026, the destruction of unsold products will be prohibited, except under limited circumstances — for example, due to health or safety reasons, damage that cannot be repaired cost-effectively, or legal infringement like counterfeit goods.  

Textile manufacturers will be required to document the actions taken and provide reasons for any destruction of unsold items. 
 

Labeling and marketing claims 

Textile labeling and marketing claims are increasingly under regulatory scrutiny for accuracy and evidence. 
 

US labeling rule enforcement 

In the United States, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is cracking down on misleading ‘Made in the USA’ claims and enforcing strict compliance with its 2021 Labeling Rule. To comply, the rule prohibits companies from making a ‘Made in the USA’ claim unless they can comply with all of the following criteria: 

• Final assembly or processing of the product occurred in the US 

• All significant processing that went into the product occurred in the US 

• All or virtually all of the ingredients or components of the product were made and sourced in the US 

The FTC has issued warning letters to companies for non-compliance and sent notices to major retailers and ecommerce platforms about misleading claims made by third-party sellers. 

Canada’s greenwashing guidance 

On 5 June 2025, Canada’s Competition Bureau issued updated guidance on environmental claims under the Competition Act, reflecting recent amendments to the Act aimed at addressing greenwashing.  

The updated guidance introduces two new provisions that explicitly target environmental claims, building on the existing requirement that certain claims must be evidence-based. To support compliance, the Bureau outlined six key principles that businesses should follow when making environmental claims: 

1. Environmental claims should be truthful, and not false or misleading 
2. Environmental benefits of a product and performance claims should be adequately and properly tested 
3. Comparative environmental claims should be specific about what’s being compared 
4. Environmental claims should avoid exaggeration 
5. Environmental claims should be clear and specific, not vague 
6. Environmental claims about the future should be supported by substantiation and a clear plan 

Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) regulations 

Textile EPR regulations are designed to reduce waste and assign responsibility for the entire lifecycle of textile products, including post-consumer disposal, to producers. While enforcement is still pending, there are two significant schemes to watch in the changing regulatory landscape.  

 
Textiles EPR schemes in the EU 

In the EU, new rules issued in February 2024 aim to reduce textile waste by shifting financial and operational responsibility to producers. The rules apply to a broad range of products, including clothing and accessories, bed linen, carpets, and mattresses.  

Under the new rules, economic operators placing textiles on the EU market will be responsible for the costs associated with separate collection, sorting, and recycling. Member States will be required to establish EPR schemes within 18 months of the Directives’ entry into force. Additionally, each EU Member State will be required to have a producer register for textiles EPR, in line with the revised Waste Framework Directive.
 

California enacts textiles EPR 

In the US, California became the first state to adopt a textiles EPR law through the Responsible Textiles Recovery Act of 2024. The law applies to clothing and accessories intended for regular wear, formal occasions and outdoor activities, including everyday clothing, uniforms, athletic wear, and swimwear among others.  

Key implementation milestones include:  

• 1 January 2026: Deadline for Producer Responsibility Organization (PRO) applications to CalRecycle 

• 1 July 2026: deadline for producers to join a PRO 

• No earlier than 1 July 2028: CalRecycle will adopt final regulations
   

These developments mark a significant shift toward producer accountability in textile waste management, both in the EU and US.  

Product Safety 

Most regulatory activity around product safety is focused on restricted substances, with a notable increase at the US state level in response to federal deregulation policies.
 

US state-level legislation on PFAS 

As of mid-2025, Enhesa is tracking 366 state-level bills across the US, with around 30% of all introduced bills related to PFAS. Legislative activity has accelerated following a January 2025 federal deregulation initiative, which called for the repeal of 10 existing regulations for every new one enacted. 

In April 2025, New Mexico became the third state, following Maine and Minnesota, to ban PFAS in products. The PFAS Protection Act sets a phased timeline: 

• 1 January 2028: Ban of PFAS in textiles and textile furnishings 

• 1 January 2032: Broader ban extending to all PFAS-containing products
   

AFIRM RSL v10 

In February 2025, the Apparel and Footwear International RSL Management (AFIRM) Group released version 10 of its Restricted Substances List (RSL). The updated list includes revised test methods for azo-amines and arylamine salts, chlorinated benzenes and toluenes, and heavy metals. 

It also includes updated PFAS limits, such as:  

• A revised total organic fluorine limit of 50ppm 

• Revisions to PFOS restrictions and new limits 

• The inclusion of PFHxA, its salts and PFHxA-related substance restrictions 

These updates reflect ongoing efforts to align industry practices with emerging chemical safety standards and regulatory expectations. 

From reactive to resilient: How businesses can respond to new textile regulations

As the regulatory environment evolves, the line between compliance and sustainability is becoming increasingly blurred. Many regulations now require businesses to go beyond basic reporting and demonstrate a deeper understanding of not just what chemicals are in their products and processes, but also how those chemicals impact health, safety, and the environment.  

To begin building a more resilient chemicals compliance strategy, textile businesses must shift from a reactive to a resilient, proactive chemicals compliance strategy. This means understanding your current readiness, identifying where to focus, and using disclosure and assessment to become more resilient and make more informed decisions 

Start by asking three key questions:  

1. What regulations apply to us today? 
2. How will these regulations impact the chemicals in our products and processes — do we know what changes we need to make? 
3. Do we have sufficient information about our chemicals to prepare for what’s coming next? 

These questions help you understand where you are today.  

1. Assess your readiness 

Every company is at a different stage on the compliance journey — some are focused solely on compliance, others are beginning to integrate sustainability considerations, and some are proactively designing safer, more sustainable products.  

• Short-term compliance: Focused primarily on regulatory compliance, and ensuring the chemicals you use aren’t included on restricted substances lists 

• Mid-term compliance: Your business also takes into account emerging risks. This includes looking at chemical watch lists and at relevant chemical groups, in addition to specifically listed chemicals 

• Long-term compliance: Your business has visibility into the chemicals in your products, processes, and supply chain, prepares for future regulations proactively, and uses hazard assessments to stay informed and make decisions on sourcing and development. 
   

Knowing where you are in terms of readiness helps clarify what to focus on and how to use disclosure and assessment to progress. 
 

2. Leverage two core capabilities: Disclosure and Assessment 

A forward-looking strategy relies on two key capabilities: 

• Disclosure — Knowing which chemicals are in your products and supply chain 

• Assessment — Understanding the potential impacts of those chemicals 

Using these two levers will help your business anticipate regulatory change, reduce business risk, and make more informed decisions. 

3. Prioritize: Which chemicals should you focus on first?  

Once you understand your business readiness, the next step is to identify which chemicals of concern to focus on.  

Understanding where you are on this readiness journey helps clarify what to focus on. You can’t do everything at once. Your readiness helps clarify your focus and how to structure your approach.  

Consider:  

• What chemicals will you be assessing or focusing on first — existing inventory, current products, or new materials? 

• Do you know what these chemicals are — including the ingredients and impurities? 

• How are you going to assess them — using which resources, teams, and tools? 

Different departments may have varying priorities regarding identifying and phasing out CoCs. Aligning around a structured shared approach will help coordinate internal efforts and clarify responsibilities.
 

4. Tools to navigate emerging regulations 

A resilient chemicals strategy depends not just on internal readiness, but also on the ability to monitor and respond to what’s coming next. This means using the right tools and information sources to identify chemicals of concern — even before they appear on regulatory lists. 

To stay ahead, businesses can: 

• Monitor authoritative or hazard-trait-based lists to identify problematic chemical characteristics before formal regulation 

• Track watch lists to anticipate which chemicals may come under future regulatory scrutiny 

• Follow ongoing developments such as proposed rules, stakeholder campaigns, and public consultations 

• Stay current with curated news and regulatory updates to understand what’s being discussed, by whom, and when changes may occur 

Chemical hazard assessments (CHAs) can be particularly powerful tools. CHAs can alert you to problematic characteristics even before something is regulated — supporting smarter decision-making and enabling teams to design safer, more sustainable products from the start.