On 19 August 2025, the “ESPR Digital Product Passport International Group Standard Summit and Textile Product Digital Product Passport Standards Forum,” jointly organised by the Textile Bioengineering and Informatics Society (TBIS) and the China Textile Engineering Society (CTES) was successfully held in Hangzhou, Zhejiang.

Participants at the meeting included Liu Jun, Chief Engineer of the China Textile Engineering Society (CTES); Prof. Yi Li, Chairman of the Textile Bioengineering and Informatics Society (TBIS) and Professor at the University of Manchester, UK; Prof. Malgorzata Zimniewska, Global President of The Textile Institute (UK); Dr. António Braz Costa, CEO of the Technology Center for Textile and Clothing Industries; Li Juan, Deputy Secretary-General of CTES; Bai Meng, Deputy Secretary-General of CTES; Xiang Jiangpeng, Deputy General Manager of Beyond Clothing Group; Wu Xiongying, Deputy Director of the CTES Standardization Committee and former Deputy Director General of Shanghai Customs; and Xu Chang, Director of Chengdu Customs Technology Center. In addition, more than 80 leaders and experts from signatory organisations of the TBIS–CTES International Group Standard DPP project, testing institutions, international associations, and textile and apparel enterprises and organisations attended the conference.”

In his remarks, Deputy General Manager Xiang Jiangpeng noted that Beyond Clothing Group has been making steady efforts in green manufacturing, digital transformation, and alignment with international standards. He emphasised that by working together with the two leading professional societies, the initiative will focus on three shared goals—standard guidance, technological support, and ecological collaboration—to advance the development of textile Digital Product Passport (DPP) standards and service systems. He expressed the hope that through joint efforts, a supportive framework of “standards + technology + services” can be established to help strengthen the sustainability of global textile products, while contributing Chinese perspectives and solutions to the pursuit of global sustainable fashion.

In her address, Chief Engineer Liu Jun emphasised that the Society places great importance on standardisation in the textile sector, with many of the standards it has developed and issued receiving broad recognition from government, industry, and the market. She noted that the Society’s work on Digital Product Passport (DPP) standardisation has already achieved significant progress. Looking ahead, the Society will continue to accelerate the development of a comprehensive DPP standards system, deepen cooperation with international organisations such as TBIS, and contribute to global textile standardisation. Efforts will also focus on promoting the application of standards in areas such as functional fabrics, fashion apparel, and sustainable textiles, while building an integrated service system combining standards, testing, and certification. She expressed the hope of attracting more domestic and international brands, supply chain enterprises, and research institutions to join to foster an open, collaborative, and trustworthy DPP ecosystem.

In his address, Prof. Yi Li warmly welcomed the guests and expressed his sincere appreciation for their participation. He noted that the Summit, held under the theme “Standards Driving Innovation, Digitization Empowering Products,” provided a platform for delegates to actively explore key topics such as the development of an international Digital Product Passport (DPP) standards system, pathways for international standards cooperation, case studies of DPP implementation, and strategies for responding to the ESPR regulation. He highlighted that enterprises, universities, and industry associations from the EU, UK, China, America, Asia-Pacific, and Australia were invited to jointly contribute to building an international textile DPP ecosystem, supporting the establishment and integration of standards and implementation frameworks in areas such as product technical performance, safety, environmental footprint, circularity, and ESG. He expressed the hope that through these collaborative efforts, the vision of a digitally enabled and sustainable DPP ecosystem in the global textile supply-value chain can be realised to support the ESPR implementation.

The summit featured the inauguration ceremony of the “TBIS International Group Standard (IGS) Technical Committee.” The TBIS-IGS brings together 54 expert members from 17 countries and regions, representing universities and research institutes, testing and certification organisations, fibres and textile manufacturers, instrumentation manufacturers, as well as textile media, brands and retailers. It aims to define data structures, performance indicators, testing and audit methodologies, and formats for presenting Digital Product Passports (DPPs), thereby establishing a harmonised DPP ecosystem. This ecosystem will promote cross-border recognition and interoperability, support regulatory compliance, and ensure alignment across the international textile and apparel industrial sectors.

The summit also hosted the signing ceremony for the “TBIS-CTES International Group Standard DPP Project.” Prof. Yi Li, Chairman of the Textile Bioengineering and Informatics Society (TBIS), and Mr. Bai Meng, Deputy Secretary-General of the China Textile Engineering Society (CTES), signed framework cooperation agreements on textile product Digital Product Passport (DPP) standards with 17 participating organisations, including DPP IGS participants (including fiber and textile manufacturers, testing and certification organizations, textile testing instrument manufacturers, retailers and brands), third party testing-certification institutions, national research centers, and international/national textile and apparel academic societies and industrial associations.

In the keynote speech session, Dr. António Braz Costa, CEO of the Technology Centre for Textile and Clothing Industries, delivered a presentation titled “EU Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles and Digital Product Passport.”

Researcher Wu Xiongying, former Deputy Director General of Shanghai Customs, gave a talk on “Definition, Structure, Function of Customs HS Code and Classification of Textiles and Garments.”

Prof. Yi Li, Chair of TBIS and Professor at the University of Manchester, presented “EU ESPR and Advances in Digital Product Passport Standard Development.”

Xu Chang, Director of Chengdu Customs Technology Centre, spoke on “Development and Application of Digital Product Passports under the Context of Green Trade.”

Luo Weifeng, Assistant to the Chairman of Beyond Clothing Group, reported on “DPP Application in Functional Fabric Industrialisation Project,” showcasing practical DPP implementation in specific products.

Dr. Ellen Zhiyu Liu, Operations Director of Control Union Certification Ltd. (Shanghai), presented “Reasonable and Effective Evaluation Methods are Necessary Pillars for the Implementation of ESPR.”

Ge Chenpeng, Chairman of Jiangsu Glory Energy-saving Technology Co., Ltd., spoke on “DPP Application in Textile Industry”

Dr. Eric Wang, Global Deputy Technical Director of SGS Global Softlines, presented “Study on the Digital Product Passport and Eco-design of Textile Materials and Products.”

Forrest Chiu, President of ChiuVention, gave a talk on “The Digital Future of Textile Testing and DPP.”

Li Yusi, Sustainability Technical Expert at Intertek Group China, delivered a presentation titled “Dual Track Compliance for Textile Sustainable Products under ESPR: Lifecycle Management and Circular Economy Integration.”

As part of the session on practical DPP application cases, Xu Wang from the University of Manchester, on behalf of Jiangsu Zhangjiagang Yiduo Dyeing & Finishing Co., Ltd., presented “Technical Performance Digital Product Passport for Performance Traceability in Wool Textile Manufacturing Process.”

In addition, Xiaonan Xu from the University of Manchester, also on behalf of Jiangsu Zhangjiagang Yiduo Dyeing & Finishing Co., Ltd., reported on “Leveraging Digital Product Passports for Textile Sustainability: DPP for Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) Traceability in Wool Textile Manufacturing Process.”

In his concluding remarks, Mr. Bai Meng, Deputy Secretary-General of the China Textile Engineering Society (CTES), noted that CTES will continue to work closely with TBIS and all signatory organisations, while inviting more partners to participate in the joint development of TBIS–CTES textile product Digital Product Passport (DPP) standards. He emphasised the importance of advancing mutual recognition of standards with more international and regional organisations, strengthening collaboration with testing and certification bodies, and promoting the extension of laboratory capabilities and the translation of certification schemes. He encouraged enterprises to adopt TBIS–CTES standards as product disclosure standards to accelerate the transformation of standardisation achievements. Finally, Mr. Bai announced that TBIS and CTES plan to hold the Second ESPR Textile Product Digital Product Passport Standards Forum in France next year and invited all stakeholders to actively follow and support the initiative.

Editors: Tim Li, Textile Bioengineering and Informatics Society (TBIS)

Wang Mengyun, China Textile Engineering Society (CTES)