Executive Vice-President Stéphane Séjourné, in a written answer on 2 July 2026, defended the European Commission's approach to implementing the Ecodesign Regulation for textile products, emphasising that the ongoing work includes both information requirements and binding minimum performance levels, and that an impact assessment will be produced to evaluate administrative burdens, particularly for SMEs.
Séjourné was responding to a question from Renew MEP Morten Løkkegaard, who had expressed concern that the Commission's milestone report for textile products focused more on information requirements than on binding minimum standards. The Executive Vice-President clarified that the preparatory study by the Joint Research Centre currently recommends more information than performance requirements, but that the impact assessment will consider a wider array of policy options, with proportionality as a key criterion. He stressed that binding information requirements under the delegated act are distinct from voluntary labels like the EU Ecolabel, and that for certain ecodesign parameters, a minimum performance level will be required, below which products will be banned from the EU market.
The answer signals a policy orientation that balances regulatory ambition with pragmatism: the Commission intends to impose concrete, measurable requirements for sustainability and circularity, but will first assess costs and consult stakeholders. The delegated act will include harmonised information requirements based on scientifically sound methods, and enhanced market surveillance will ensure a level playing field. No specific timeline for the delegated act was provided, but the reference to ongoing JRC work and impact assessment suggests a proposal in the coming months. The answer offers reassurance to European textile producers concerned about administrative burdens, while maintaining the goal of improving product durability and circularity.