The European Commission’s Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs agency said that many clothing labels in Europe contain incorrect information related to fiber composition.
That’s the finding of a series of tests conducted by the division of more than 132 clothing items from European Union countries such as Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Italy, Lithuania, Malta and Portugal. Items were primarily purchased in physical stores with 28 pieces bought online. Garment types included tops, baby clothing, activewear, sleepwear, scarves and other items.
Of all the garments tested, 49 samples or 37 percent of the items had labels that didn’t accurately reflect the materials used in their fabrics. Breaking it down by item type, 80 percent of scarves 54 percent of tops, 25 percent of baby clothing, 13 percent of activewear and 14 percent of sleep wear bore inaccurate labels.
The three main types of non-compliance in labeling included fiber percentages not matching the actual material makeup, items containing different or cheaper fibers than those listed on the label, or simply incorrectly declaring or naming fibers on labeling. Items containing blends of natural and artificial fibers had the highest failure rate at 64 percent, followed by garments labelled as having a blend of natural fibers at 46 percent. Apparel labeled as being 100 percent made with a single natural fiber even had a 15 percent inaccuracy rate.
“Consumers and businesses need to know that the labels on the garments they buy give a true picture of the fibre composition of those garments,” said Vanessa Capurso, policy officer for the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs. “Market surveillance campaigns help ensure consumers get what they pay for and protect businesses from unfair competition.”
The testing, which was performed at an accredited laboratory in Italy, also found that the label accuracy failure rate for online purchases outpaced in-store at 46 and 36 percent, respectively. The agency said that many of the products, particularly those imported from outside the EU lacked basic manufacturer information, which made enforcement or recalls difficult. For those that could be identified, market surveillance authorities ordered that sales of 18 products cease, while two others were instructed to take corrective measures and another two were instructed to undergo relabelling. An additional three products were flagged to be marked with appropriate warning labels. Measures remain ongoing for two dozen more products.
Of the products tested, 41 were registered in the Information and Communication System for Market Surveillance, the EU platform for market surveillance authorities to share product test results and non-compliance findings. This platform allows those authorities to coordinate enforcement and keep unsafe products off the market.
The report cautioned that with the high rate of mislabeled products, consumers “should be cautious of very low prices, or deals that seem too good to be true, and to prefer products where the manufacturer’s name, address or website is mentioned on the label. This ensures accountability and traceability.”
This testing was conducted during the Joint Actions on Compliance of Products 2025 inspection campaign, with clothing being one of 11 categories analyzed. The Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs agency said that their findings underscore the need for continuous testing along with heightened industry awareness of labelling obligations.
