The textile industry is at a turning point. Globally, awareness is growing that our clothing and textile products carry a significant ecological footprint: from intensive water and energy use to CO₂ emissions and microplastics in our oceans. At the same time, the call for greater supply chain transparency is getting louder. Consumers want to know where their clothing comes from, under what conditions it is made, and what materials it contains. Companies face pressure from both new regulations and a market that is becoming increasingly demanding.
The textile sector faces multiple challenges. Production processes are often complex and globally dispersed, with many steps between raw material and finished product. This makes it difficult to fully control and understand material origins. Many garments are also made from blended fibers, making high-quality recycling both technically challenging and costly.
On the social side, there are still issues to solve. In production countries, workers too often face low wages, long hours, and poor working conditions. Meanwhile, global demand for clothing continues to rise, putting additional strain on resources, ecosystems, and communities.
Adding to this pressure, the European Union is introducing stricter sustainability requirements in the textile value chain. Legislation such as the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) and Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) will require manufacturers to provide detailed information on materials, origins, and end-of-life options. Companies that fail to act risk reputational damage as well as legal and financial consequences.
In these challenges lies a significant opportunity. Companies that gain insight and control over their material flows can not only comply with legislation but also unlock new business models—such as take-back programs, repair services, and closed-loop recycling, where recovered materials return to production.
This transition to a circular textile chain starts with transparency. You can only improve and close loops if you have a clear view of them. This is where the Digital Product Passport (DPP) comes in.
A Digital Product Passport is essentially the digital identity card of a product. It contains detailed information on the materials used, their origins, the production process, and the recommended end-of-life treatment.
With a DPP, this information becomes accessible to all relevant stakeholders in the value chain—from manufacturers to recyclers, from retailers to consumers. This enables:
It also opens opportunities for brand storytelling and building trust by showing commitment to transparency and sustainability.
At Cirmar, we developed C_passport® to help companies easily create, manage, and share Digital Product Passports—not as a box-ticking exercise, but as a strategic tool for accelerating circularity.
With C_passport®, companies can:
This turns the DPP into more than a compliance tool—it becomes a catalyst for innovation and sustainable growth.
The future of the textile sector lies in closing loops and creating value across the full lifecycle of products. Digital Product Passports enable that transition by bringing visibility, trust, and collaboration to a complex supply chain.
Companies that take action now will benefit later: reduced reliance on virgin materials, stronger customer relationships, and a competitive edge in an economy that is inevitably moving toward circularity. With C_passport®, you can secure your position as frontrunner today.