A supplier sends you a label design: "95% cotton, 5% spandex", washing symbols, "Made in China" and a size. It looks complete. Under EU law, two things are wrong with it. "Spandex" is not an allowed fibre name in the EU, and the information that is mandatory is missing in the language of the country where you sell (unless you only sell in Ireland or Malta).
The rules come from Regulation (EU) No 1007/2011 on textile fibre names and labelling. It applies to every textile product made available on the EU market, whether you sell from a warehouse in Germany or ship parcels from outside the EU. This article explains what must be on the label, what is optional, and which other EU rules add information to the same product.
- Which products the regulation covers
- What must be on the label
- Fibre names: what your supplier writes and what the EU allows
- What is not mandatory at EU level
- The GPSR adds traceability information
- Who is responsible for the label
- Tolerances, testing and enforcement
- What is changing
- Checklist
Which products the regulation covers
The regulation applies to textile products, meaning products made only of textile fibres (Article 3(1)(a)). It also applies to products that contain at least 80% textile fibres by weight, and to textile coverings of furniture, umbrellas and sunshades with at least 80% textile components (Article 2(2)). Clothing, bed linen, towels, curtains and most textile accessories fall under it.
Some textile products are exempt from fibre labelling. Annex V lists 42 groups, among them toys, textile parts of footwear, textile watch straps, travel goods and fancy goods of textile materials, animal clothing, protective and safety products such as life-jackets and parachutes, and flags (Article 17(2)). For a short list of products, such as belts, ribbons, elastic and handkerchiefs, one inclusive label for items of the same type and fibre composition is enough (Article 17(3) and Annex VI).
What must be on the label
The core duty is simple: a textile product must carry a label or marking that states its fibre composition whenever it is made available on the market (Article 14(1)). Several rules decide how.
- Names from Annex I only. Fibre composition may only be described with the 50 fibre names in Annex I (Article 5(1)).
- Percentages in descending order. For products of more than one fibre, give the name and percentage by weight of each fibre, largest first (Article 9(1)).
- "100%", "pure" or "all" only for products made of one fibre. Up to 2% of unavoidable other fibres is allowed, or 5% for carded products, meaning fibres combed out by machine before spinning (Article 7).
- "Other fibres" may be used for one fibre up to 5%, or several fibres together up to 15%, when they cannot easily be stated at the time of manufacture (Article 9(2)).
- Each component its own composition. If a product has parts with different fibre content, such as a jacket with a lining, each part needs its own declaration. Parts under 30% of the total weight are exempt, except main linings (Article 11).
- Animal parts. If the product contains non-textile parts of animal origin, such as leather trim or fur, the label must say exactly "Contains non-textile parts of animal origin" (Article 12).
- Durable and attached. The label must be durable, easy to read, visible and accessible, and securely attached (Article 14(1)).
- Separate from other information. A trade mark or company name may appear directly before or after the composition. Everything else must be shown separately (Article 16(2)).
- Local language. The composition must be in the official language or languages of the member state where the product is sold to the consumer, unless that member state allows otherwise (Article 16(3)). Selling in Germany, France and Italy means German, French and Italian on the label.
- Visible before purchase, also online. The fibre composition must be clearly visible to the consumer before the purchase, including when the purchase is made online (Article 16(1)). Your product listing needs it, not only the label in the parcel.
Not sure the composition your supplier puts on the label is right? Our textile testing service includes fibre composition testing.
Fibre names: what your supplier writes and what the EU allows
Many labels from Asian suppliers use names from the US or Chinese market. In the EU only the Annex I names count. A few that come up often:
| Supplier writes | EU name in Annex I | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Spandex | Elastane | "Spandex" is not an Annex I name |
| Rayon | Viscose | "Rayon" is not an Annex I name |
| Bamboo | Viscose | Usually viscose (sometimes lyocell or modal); "bamboo" is not a fibre name |
| Nylon | Polyamide or nylon | Both names are allowed |
| Lycra | Elastane | Lycra is a trade mark; it may appear next to the fibre name, not instead of it |
The bamboo case is a known trap. German consumer organisations call "bamboo" on a viscose label misleading and unlawful, whether the viscose comes from bamboo or from wood (Verbraucherzentrale NRW). Write "viscose", and keep marketing claims about the raw material out of the composition line.
What is not mandatory at EU level
The Textile Labelling Regulation does not require care symbols, a size or a country of origin. Many sellers assume it does.
- Care symbols. The well-known washing symbols are registered trade marks of GINETEX, and the international standard is ISO 3758:2023. They are voluntary under EU law, but customers expect them and they help avoid complaints. Our article on washing symbols and their meaning explains each symbol.
- Size. No EU rule makes a size label mandatory.
- Country of origin. "Made in" is not required by the regulation. If you do use it, it must not mislead (recital 20 of the regulation; Article 6(1)(b) of the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive 2005/29/EC).
Individual member states may have their own rules on some of this information. Check the rules of the countries where you sell.
The GPSR adds traceability information
The Textile Labelling Regulation contains no safety rules, so the General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR, Regulation (EU) 2023/988) applies to clothing and home textiles as well. It adds information that must be on the product, or where that is not possible, on the packaging or in an accompanying document:
- a type, batch or serial number that consumers can easily see (Article 9(5));
- the manufacturer's name, registered trade name or trade mark, and a postal and electronic address (Article 9(6));
- the name and contact details (postal and electronic address) of the economic operator established in the EU who is responsible for the product; this may also be on the parcel (Article 16(1) and (3)).
Online listings must show the manufacturer, the responsible person in the EU if the manufacturer is outside the EU, product identification with a picture, and any warnings (Article 19). Our article on REACH tests for textiles and other products covers the chemical side, such as azo dyes and formaldehyde.
Selling clothing in the EU from outside the EU? Our EU Authorised Representative service under the GPSR gives you that EU contact point for your labels and listings.
Who is responsible for the label
The manufacturer must make sure the label is supplied and correct when the product is placed on the market. If the manufacturer is not established in the EU, the importer has that duty (Article 15(1)). A distributor who sells the product under its own name or trade mark, attaches the label itself or changes its content, counts as the manufacturer (Article 15(2)). Every distributor must make sure the products it sells carry the right label (Article 15(3)).
For a brand outside the EU this means: your EU importer carries the legal duty, and retailers must check the label, but both will expect you to deliver correct labels. If you ship directly to EU consumers without an EU importer, authorities and marketplaces will still check your products against these rules. In practice the label is printed and sewn in at the factory, so that is where it has to be right.
Tolerances, testing and enforcement
The stated percentages may differ by up to 3 percentage points from the result of a lab analysis (Article 20(3)). Annex VIII sets the analysis methods (Article 19). Labels, stitching threads, textile-covered buttons, decorations and non-insulating fillings are left out of the calculation (Annex VII).
Authorities do test. In a coordinated EU action in 2025, inspectors in eight member states bought 132 garments in shops and online and had them analysed. The fibre composition label was wrong for 49 of them, or 37%. Scarves failed most often, and products bought online failed more often than those bought in shops (results published in June 2026, as reported by Intertek). Penalties are set by each member state (Article 41 of Regulation (EU) 2019/1020).
A fibre composition test before your first order shows whether your supplier's label matches the fabric.
What is changing
The European Commission plans to revise the Textile Labelling Regulation, with a focus on environmental information and digital labels. The Commission had planned a proposal for the second quarter of 2026; as of October 2026 it has not been published. Its 2022 Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles also mentions possible mandatory information on size and country of origin, and a digital product passport for textiles under the Ecodesign Regulation (EU) 2024/1781. None of this applies yet. The rules in this article are the ones that apply today.
Checklist
- Check that your product falls under the regulation and is not in Annex V.
- Use only Annex I fibre names: elastane, not spandex; viscose, not rayon or bamboo.
- List all fibres with their percentages by weight, largest first.
- Give each component with a different composition its own line, such as shell and lining.
- Add "Contains non-textile parts of animal origin" where it applies.
- Translate the composition into the language of every country where you sell.
- Show the composition in your online listing as well.
- Add the GPSR information: product identifier, manufacturer details and the EU responsible person.
- Test the fibre composition before your first order, and again when the supplier changes the fabric.
Want the GPSR information on your labels checked before production? Our labelling check reviews the product identification, the manufacturer and EU responsible person details, and the warnings on your label and packaging.
Sources
- Regulation (EU) No 1007/2011 on textile fibre names and related labelling and marking of the fibre composition of textile products, Articles 2, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 12, 14 to 17, 19 and 20, recital 20, and Annexes I, V, VI, VII and VIII, as amended by Delegated Regulations (EU) No 286/2012 and (EU) 2018/122. EUR-Lex
- Regulation (EU) 2023/988 (GPSR), Articles 2, 9, 16 and 19. EUR-Lex
- Regulation (EU) 2019/1020 on market surveillance, Article 41 and Annex II. EUR-Lex
- Directive 2005/29/EC on unfair commercial practices, Article 6(1)(b).
- European Commission, EU Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles, COM(2022) 141 final.
- European Commission, Review of Regulation (EU) 1007/2011 on textile labelling. single-market-economy.ec.europa.eu
- Intertek, EU market surveillance finds high non-compliance in fibre composition labels, 2026. intertek.com
- Verbraucherzentrale NRW, Kleidung aus Bambus. verbraucherzentrale.nrw
- GINETEX, care labelling symbols; ISO 3758:2023.
- Consulted October 2026.
