Eu's epr and dpp deadlines loom, but compliance reality bites

The European Union's digital product passports (DPPs) and extended producer responsibility (EPR) regulations are set to take effect, forcing Fashion brands to pivot from strategic planning to operational compliance.

But the industry's readiness is lacking.

Liz Alessi, founder of the Crisis of Stuff and sustainability consultant, notes that while DPPs are being developed as a data layer, the sorting, resale, and recycling systems meant to utilize that data are not yet equipped to do so. Without investment in physical infrastructure, DPPs' impact remains limited.

Meanwhile, EPR shifts financial and operational responsibility for products' end of life back onto brands, creating an incentive to design for recyclability and invest in waste management systems. However, those systems are not ready to handle the volumes EPR will generate.

As the industry moves from planning to execution, a more daunting reality emerges: the infrastructure required to meet DPP and EPR demands does not yet exist at the scale being demanded.

Experts argue that DPP and EPR, when pursued with vigor, can catalyze the industry's long-overdue transformation. But treating compliance as the finish line risks layering complexity on top of unresolved infrastructure gaps.

As the deadlines draw near (a simplified DPP is targeted for late 2027, while EPR becomes mandatory at scale across the EU by April 2028), brands must confront the harsh truth: the industry needs to build resilience against future shocks, and compliance is just the starting point.