Home › Guides › GPSR requirements for clothing and textile sellers in the EU

GPSR requirements for clothing and textile sellers in the EU

By Karim El Achaq, founder of EUReady · Last updated: 6 July 2026

Key facts

Textiles carry their own mandatory fibre-composition labelling (Regulation (EU) 1007/2011), in the official language of the country of sale.
Children's clothing must follow EN 14682 on cords and drawstrings, a top recall cause for kidswear.
Since December 2024 the GPSR requires manufacturer identity, an EU responsible person for non-EU brands, and warnings on every listing.
REACH restricts azo dyes, certain flame retardants and other chemicals in textiles.
Print-on-demand brands are the manufacturer in EU law, even when a partner prints and ships.

Apparel looks like a low-risk category, which is exactly why so many clothing brands ignore EU compliance entirely. In practice, textiles have their own mandatory labelling regulation, children's clothing has strict design rules, and since December 2024 the GPSR defines what every listing must display to EU buyers.

For a Shopify clothing brand outside the EU, the two most common gaps we find are missing fibre composition in the buyer's language and no EU responsible person anywhere on the page.

What every clothing and textiles listing must show under GPSR

Since 13 December 2024, the General Product Safety Regulation (EU) 2023/988 sets rules for products sold online to EU consumers. Article 19 is the part that hits your product pages directly: every online listing must display, before purchase, the following information.

Manufacturer identity: the name (or trade name) of the manufacturer, a postal address and an electronic address (email). If you make the products yourself under your own brand, that is you.
EU responsible person: if the manufacturer is not established in the EU, the name and contact details of the responsible economic operator located inside the EU.
Product identification: enough information to identify the product, such as a picture, the product type and any batch or serial reference.
Warnings and safety information: in a language easily understood by consumers of the country you sell to, not only in English.

The same information also has to travel with the physical product (on the item, its packaging or an accompanying document), so your labels and your Shopify pages need to match.

What are the textile-specific requirements?

Beyond GPSR, textiles carry a mandatory fibre-composition label, design rules for children's cords, REACH chemical limits and expected care labelling. The four that matter most:

Fibre composition (Regulation 1007/2011): mandatory on a durable label, using the official fibre names (for example 100% cotton, 80% wool 20% polyamide), in the official language of the country of sale.
Children's clothing cords and drawstrings (EN 14682): no cords in the hood or neck area for young children; length limits elsewhere. This is a top recall cause for kidswear.
REACH: restrictions on azo dyes, certain flame retardants and other chemicals in textiles.
Care labelling: not harmonised EU-wide but expected in practice; some countries require specific information.

What does GPSR add on your product pages?

The GPSR requires each clothing listing to show the manufacturer name, postal address and email, the EU responsible person for non-EU brands, product identification, and any warnings (for example flammability notes for loungewear or fancy dress, small-part warnings for embellished kidswear), visible before purchase and in a language the buyer understands.

Do not forget the packaging: EPR applies too

GPSR covers the product. The box, mailer, tape and filler you ship it in fall under a different set of rules: Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for packaging. If you ship clothing and textiles to consumers in Germany you must be registered in the LUCID packaging register before your first sale, and in France you need a unique identifier via an eco-organisation such as Citeo (see our France EPR guide). Marketplaces already verify these numbers and block sellers who do not have them.

How to make your Shopify store compliant, step by step

List what you sell to the EU. GPSR applies to new, used, repaired and handmade clothing and textiles alike. There is no minimum volume: one parcel to an EU customer is enough to be in scope.
Gather the manufacturer information. Your business name, postal address and email if you are the maker; your supplier's details if you resell.
Appoint an EU responsible person if you are outside the EU. Authorised representative services exist from roughly 150 to 500 euros per year. Their details go on your listings and labels. Our responsible person guide explains the options.
Write the warnings and safety information relevant to your products, and translate them for the markets you sell to.
Add all of it to every product page. On Shopify this is usually done with metafields plus a theme block, so the information displays cleanly on each listing.
Sort out packaging EPR for Germany and France if you ship there.

Doing this by hand across a full catalog is where most sellers give up: it is repetitive, error-prone and easy to leave half-finished. That is the exact problem EUReady automates: scan, see what is missing per product, fix it across the catalog in one click.

Check your store for free

EUReady scans every product in your Shopify store, shows you exactly what GPSR and EPR info is missing, and fills it in for you. Join the free beta and be first in line when we launch on the Shopify App Store.

No credit card. Founding members lock in 50% off for life.

Frequently asked questions

Do print-on-demand clothing brands need to comply?

Yes. If you sell under your brand, you are the manufacturer in the eyes of EU law even when a POD partner prints and ships. Check what compliance information your POD provider gives you and whether they offer an EU responsible person arrangement; many do not.

Does the fibre label really need to be in French for French customers?

Yes, fibre composition must appear in the official language of the member state where the product is sold. An English-only label is non-compliant in France and Germany.

Is second-hand clothing exempt?

Selling used clothing to EU consumers is still in scope of GPSR. The fibre labelling regulation targets products placed on the market, and enforcement on genuine second-hand resale is lighter, but safety obligations (like drawstring rules for kids) still apply.

Official sources

This guide is general information for online sellers, based on publicly available EU legislation. It is not legal advice. Regulations evolve and national rules differ: for decisions that matter to your business, confirm with a qualified professional or the official sources linked above.