Fashion
EU laws push APAC factories towards data over certificates
One of the first visible changes arrives with the EU’s ban on the destruction of unsold textiles, taking effect on 19 July 2026, less than three months from now, for large companies under the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR). While the rule focuses on what happens to unsold goods, its implications reach much further upstream. Brands facing restrictions on overproduction now have an immediate commercial incentive to improve demand planning, tighten order volumes, increase inventory accuracy, and reduce discrepancies across the supply chain. As a result, data quality and traceability at the production level are becoming a matter of regulatory compliance, not just operational efficiency.
EU rules are shifting sourcing from certificates to data-driven verification.
ESPR and upcoming Digital Product Passports demand structured, traceable product data.
Factories offering real-time, item-level visibility gain a clear edge over audit-based peers.
With RFID adoption still limited, early movers can strengthen competitiveness and secure future orders.
Alongside this, the EU is developing the Digital Product Passport (DPP) framework, which will introduce structured data requirements for products placed on the EU market. Textiles are a priority category, with specific delegated acts and implementation timelines expected to be finalised in the near future. This follows the Omnibus I Directive, which already entered into force in March 2026. While the final DPP requirements are still being defined, the direction is clear: Standardised product data, greater supply chain transparency, and the ability to share information across systems and stakeholders.
This regulatory direction is already influencing how brands evaluate suppliers. According to a recent EcoVadis study, sustainability clauses in supplier contracts are evolving into enforceable governance tools. Traditional compliance tools such as certifications and audit reports remain important, but they are no longer sufficient on their own. They are increasingly complemented by expectations around digital data availability, traceability across production stages, and structured formats that integrate into brand systems.
In practice, digital traceability is not about a single technology, but about combining several elements: Unique product identifiers such as QR codes, RFID, or NFC; data capture at key production and logistics stages; and platforms that structure and share this data across the value chain. Together, these elements enable products to carry a digital identity that links physical items to their associated information.
This is where factory-level infrastructure becomes increasingly important. Solutions such as SML’s Factory Care Solutions (FCS) are designed to capture production data at source, enable on-demand RFID encoding and labelling, validate shipments, and reduce discrepancies. They create a reliable data foundation during manufacturing.
Importantly, these solutions do not replace a brand’s Digital Product Passport system; Rather, they act as the essential data capture and verification layer that feeds into DPP platforms and brand systems.
“Factories have always been evaluated on their ability to meet quality and compliance standards,” says Nanna Ingemann Dalsgaard, VP Sustainability, Digital ID & Marketing at SML Group. “What’s changing now is that brands increasingly expect that compliance to be backed by structured, verifiable data. The factories that can provide that data seamlessly are not just meeting requirements – they are making it easier for brands to operate in a more regulated environment.”
To see the commercial impact of this shift in action, consider two factories competing for a Spring/Summer 2027 order. Both hold the same sustainability certifications. However, Factory A submits quarterly audit summaries by email, while Factory B provides real-time, item-level digital traceability for every garment, verifiable through RFID. By delivering the seamless data Nanna describes, Factory B transforms a regulatory baseline into a decisive operational advantage, making it the obvious choice for the brand.
At the same time, adoption of item-level digital identification is still far from universal. According to IDTechEx, RFID tagging currently reaches only around 40 per cent of the total addressable market for apparel. This creates a significant window of opportunity for manufacturers to build capabilities ahead of regulatory deadlines, align more closely with evolving brand requirements, and strengthen their position in future sourcing decisions.
The regulatory timeline is moving fast, and the direction is consistent: More transparency, more structured data, and greater accountability across the value chain. For manufacturers, the key question is no longer whether these requirements will materialise, but how quickly they can build the capabilities needed to support them.
Certifications will continue to signal commitment. But increasingly, it is the ability to translate that commitment into reliable, shareable data that will win the order.
Note: The headline, insights, and image of this press release may have been refined by the Fibre2Fashion staff; the rest of the content remains unchanged.
Fibre2Fashion News Desk (MS)
The legislation (HR 4930) aims at strengthening US Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) ability to share information with stakeholders during enforcement of American intellectual property (IP) rights at the border.
The American Apparel & Footwear Association has urged the US House of Representatives to pass a key anti-counterfeiting measure that is scheduled to be considered this week.
The legislation (HR 4930) aims at strengthening US Customs and Border Protection’s ability to share information with stakeholders during enforcement of American intellectual property rights at the border.
When enacted, this provision will enable brands to help CBP curb counterfeits before they enter American homes, according to a release from AAFA.
HR 4930 clarifies CBP’s ability to share information with brands, not only from products and packaging, but also from packing materials connected to suspected counterfeit shipments.
It also expands the definition of who qualifies as a ‘person’ eligible to receive information from CBP, allowing the agency to address longstanding challenges to the enforcement of IP rights by strengthening information shared with stakeholders in IP enforcement.
By widening both the scope of information and the pool of partners, the legislation aims at breaking down information silos, improve enforcement efficiency and better support efforts to identify and block counterfeit items, AAFA said.
“Stopping these unsafe counterfeits at the border, preventing them from polluting third party marketplaces, and, ultimately, keeping them out of American homes should be a bipartisan, bicameral priority. We hope the Senate will take up this measure if it passes the House so it can quickly be presented to the President for his signature,” remarked Stephen Lamar, AAFA’s president and chief executive officer.
In recognition of World IP Day on April 26, AAFA led a letter with almost two dozen consumer, retail and manufacturing groups to US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick and Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and United States Patent and Trademark Office director John A Squires to tout the economic importance of protecting IP, encourage the continuance of leading multilateral discussions on intellectual property and grow stakeholder capacity-building opportunities.
Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DS)
With this appointment, J.Jill strengthens its marketing leadership structure, bringing brand, creative and marketing together under an executive leader with deep marketing experience as part of the company’s strategy to expand its customer base and drive long-term growth. Ms. Wallengren will report directly to CEO and President Mary Ellen Coyne.
J.Jill, Inc. has appointed Kimberly Wallengren as senior vice president and chief marketing officer, effective April 27, 2026.
A former VP of Marketing for North America at Coach, she will oversee brand, creative and marketing functions, focusing on brand positioning, customer acquisition and consumer engagement to support J.Jill’s long-term growth strategy under CEO Mary Ellen Coyne.
“We’re excited to welcome Kimberly to J.Jill as we focus on expanding brand awareness and growing our customer file,” said Mary Ellen Coyne, CEO and President of J.Jill. “Kimberly brings a strong track record of leading marketing strategies that have attracted new audiences and strengthened engagement with existing customers. She has a deep understanding of today’s consumer and a proven ability to translate these insights into impactful campaigns and more effective ways to reach and engage customers, which will be critical as we look to our next phase of growth.”
Ms. Wallengren, who has extensive experience developing and growing global brands, is a Coach veteran, most recently serving as VP of Marketing for North America. At Coach, she defined the marketing strategy for North America and played a key role in expanding the brand’s customer base by evolving its positioning to resonate with a broader, more diverse audience, all while maintaining strong engagement with its core customer. She also led notable initiatives across partnerships and digital platforms, including a first-of-its-kind partnership between a luxury fashion brand and the Women’s National Basketball Association and campaigns within gaming environments such as The Sims 4 and Roblox. During her tenure, Coach was consistently recognized among the top brands on the Lyst Index, a quarterly ranking of fashion’s hottest brands and products complied by the fashion shopping platform Lyst.
Prior to joining Coach, Ms. Wallengren served as Head of Marketing for American Eagle’s AE77 sustainable premium denim brand, leading business and marketing strategy as well as customer acquisition and retention efforts. She previously held leadership roles at adidas and New Balance, where she led marketing campaigns, developed global strategies, and built consumer engagement to drive profitability. She holds a BS, cum laude, in Psychology and Biology from Boston College.
“I’m thrilled to join J.Jill at such an exciting time for the company,” said Kimberly Wallengren, SVP, CMO, J.Jill. “This brand has a strong foundation and a clear opportunity to connect with both existing and new customers in meaningful ways. I look forward to working closely with Mary Ellen and the team to build momentum and create experiences that inspire customers wherever they engage with us.”
Note: The headline, insights, and image of this press release may have been refined by the Fibre2Fashion staff; the rest of the content remains unchanged.
Fibre2Fashion News Desk (RM)
“The momentum we experienced in our business last year carried over into 2026, driving net sales growth of approximately 9 per cent for the second consecutive quarter,” said Jason Brooks, chairman, president and CEO at Rocky Brands.
Rocky Brands has reported net sales up 9.1 per cent to $124.4 million in Q1 2026, with retail rising 16.5 per cent.
However, $7.1 million tariff costs reduced gross margin to 36.5 per cent and hit profits, with net income down 74.5 per cent.
Adjusted EPS fell to $0.24.
The company expects easing tariff pressure and improved margins in the second half of 2026.
He added that performance was driven by strength in XTRATUF and Muck across channels and robust online demand. “Profitability was in line with our expectations as we anticipated higher sourcing variances, mainly as a result of increased tariffs,” said Brooks.
The Rocky Brands earnings report 2026 shows net income declined 74.5 per cent to $1.3 million, while operating income fell 58.2 per cent, reflecting tariff-related cost pressures across the footwear industry financial results landscape. Adjusted diluted earnings per share (EPS) came in at $0.24, down from $0.73, reflecting the impact of tariffs on companies and broader footwear industry financial results, Rocky Brands said in a press release.
“Moving forward, the impact from higher tariffs begins to lessen in the second quarter which, along with current top-line trends, provides a clear path back to gross margins in the low 40 per cent range and improvement in profitability over the second half of the year,” Brooks noted.
Wholesale sales rose 4.8 per cent, while contract manufacturing grew 25 per cent, indicating diversified growth across segments. Inventory declined 1.6 per cent to $172.6 million and total debt fell 5 per cent to $122.2 million, signalling improved balance sheet management.
Fibre2Fashion News Desk (SG)
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