New legislation around responsible recycling of textiles for businesses in 2026

Textile regulation is changing, but the rules differ between the UK and the EU. For UK businesses, the starting point is to understand where products are placed on the market and to keep clear records of textile waste and disposal routes.

EU textile extended producer responsibility

Directive (EU) 2025/1892, amending the Waste Framework Directive, entered into force on 16 October 2025. Member States must transpose it by 17 June 2027 and establish mandatory extended producer responsibility (EPR) schemes for textile, textile-related and footwear products within 30 months, by 17 April 2028. Micro-enterprises have until 17 April 2029.

Producers, including importers and online sellers placing products on EU markets, will pay fees to finance collection, sorting, re-use, preparing for re-use and recycling. UK businesses selling into the EU should prepare for the relevant obligations in each Member State rather than assume that UK waste arrangements cover EU requirements.

Digital Product Passports and the EU ESPR

The Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (EU) 2024/1781 entered into force on 18 July 2024 and introduces the Digital Product Passport. Textiles are among the priority product groups, with requirements to be set through later delegated acts. The framework is in place, but businesses should not treat every textile-specific requirement as already finalised.

The UK position

There is no UK textiles EPR scheme yet. In a written answer in July 2026, Defra said it had considered textiles in its forthcoming Circular Economy Growth Plan but could not pre-empt its measures.

In January 2026, the UK Textiles Pact, convened by WRAP, published an industry blueprint calling on government to legislate for a mandatory UK textiles EPR scheme run by a single non-profit producer responsibility organisation. This is an industry proposal, not an existing UK legal requirement.

An international example: California

California’s SB 707, the Responsible Textile Recovery Act of 2024, was signed on 28 September 2024 and is the first US textile-specific EPR law. CalRecycle approved Landbell USA as the producer responsibility organisation on 27 February 2026, and producers of covered products had to join it by 1 July 2026. This is a separate jurisdiction and should not be confused with UK or EU obligations.

Practical steps for UK businesses

Map the markets where textile products are sold and identify who is responsible for placing them on each market. Keep records of textile volumes, material information and disposal routes. Monitor the relevant EU Member State requirements and UK policy updates.

When choosing a disposal partner, ask for documented collection records, certificates and a clear audit trail. Keep these records alongside procurement and sustainability information so disposal outcomes can be checked rather than assumed.

For secure collection and documented disposal of workwear and end-of-life textiles, explore textile recycling.

Sources

https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/en/ALL/?uri=CELEX%3A32025L1892

https://environment.ec.europa.eu/news/revised-waste-framework-directive-enters-force-2025-10-16_en

https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2024/1781/oj

https://www.theyworkforyou.com/wrans/?id=2026-07-06.15935.h

https://www.wrap.ngo/resources/report/uk-textiles-extended-producer-responsibility-blueprint

https://calrecycle.ca.gov/epr/textiles/textileproapp/