Can I sell clothing in Germany? Requirements overview

# Can I sell clothing in Germany? Requirements overview

Short answer: Yes. Ordinary clothing needs no CE marking, but it must carry correct fibre-composition labelling under the EU Textile Labelling Regulation 1007/2011, meet REACH chemical restrictions, satisfy the EU General Product Safety Regulation's traceability and safety duties, provide consumer information in German, and be covered by German packaging registration (LUCID). Children's clothing has additional safety rules for cords and drawstrings.

Key facts

• Ordinary garments do not carry CE marking; affixing a CE mark to a plain T-shirt is itself an offence.
• Regulation (EU) 1007/2011 requires fibre composition on a durable label, using the regulation's fibre names in descending order of weight, in the language of the member state of sale (German for Germany).
• Non-textile parts of animal origin (leather patches, fur trim) must be declared on the label.
• REACH restricts substances in textiles, including certain azo dyes, DMF, chromium VI in leather, and nickel release.
• The EU General Product Safety Regulation 2023/988 requires manufacturer and importer identification, batch traceability, and complaint handling.
• Children's garments must meet EN 14682 on cords and drawstrings: no drawstrings in the head and neck area for young children.
• Packaging must be registered in the LUCID register under the German Packaging Act (VerpackG) before first sale, including shipping packaging.

1. Fibre labelling: the non-negotiable label

Regulation (EU) 1007/2011 is the most enforced rule in apparel. Every textile product made available on the EU market must state its fibre composition using the fibre names listed in the regulation's Annex I, with the name and percentage by weight of each constituent fibre in descending order. Products composed of a single fibre may use terms such as "100%", "pure" or "all" only within the regulation's conditions, and special terms such as "virgin wool" have their own strict definitions.

The label must be durable, legible, and accessible to the consumer at the point of sale, and the information must be in the language of the member state where the product is sold, so German for Germany. Non-textile parts of animal origin must be declared with the phrase "Contains non-textile parts of animal origin". Market surveillance authorities check fibre composition by laboratory analysis against the label, so the declaration must match the actual product: a "100% cotton" shirt that tests at 94% cotton is a violation, not a rounding difference.

Build the labelling workflow around three controls. First, get fibre composition from verified supplier data or your own testing, not from the fabric merchant's brochure. Second, use the Annex I fibre names exactly; marketing names for fibres are not permitted on the composition label. Third, proofread German translations with a native speaker who knows textile terminology, because wrong fibre declarations are a routine cause of enforcement action and returns.

2. Chemical compliance under REACH

REACH (Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006) restricts substances in textiles and leather through its Annex XVII entries. The entries most relevant to apparel include restrictions on azo dyes that release listed aromatic amines, dimethylfumarate (DMF), chromium VI in leather articles, nickel release from metal accessories such as buttons and zips, and restrictions on certain phthalates and organotin compounds. Restricted Substance Lists published by industry bodies reflect these legal limits plus buyer expectations, but the legal baseline is the REACH text itself.

The practical approach is risk-based testing: test finished garments at an accredited laboratory against the REACH annex entries applicable to your materials, with extra attention to dyed fabrics, prints, leather components, and metal trims. Hold the test reports in the compliance file, and require supplier declarations for every material, updated when suppliers change. A test report from two years ago for a fabric you no longer buy proves nothing about the current shipment.

3. Product safety and traceability under the GPSR

Clothing falls under the EU General Product Safety Regulation 2023/988, which has applied since 13 December 2024. The GPSR requires that consumer products be safe under normal and reasonably foreseeable use, and it imposes traceability duties on economic operators: the product must carry the manufacturer's name and contact details, and where applicable the importer's details, along with identification (batch, serial or model) that allows the product to be traced.

Economic operators must also maintain internal processes for product safety, including handling consumer complaints and keeping records that allow unsafe products to be identified and withdrawn. If you sell online into Germany, the GPSR's distance-selling rules require the safety and traceability information (manufacturer and importer identity, product identification, warnings) to appear in the online listing itself, not just on the physical product. Audit your marketplace and webshop listings against this requirement: missing traceability information in listings is one of the most common findings in online market surveillance.

For children's clothing, EN 14682 sets the safety standard for cords and drawstrings on children's clothing: drawstrings and functional cords in the head, neck and upper chest area are prohibited for young children, with detailed requirements by age group and garment zone. Design children's ranges to the standard from the first sketch; retrofitting compliant cords onto finished garments is unreliable.

4. What you do NOT need: no CE marking on ordinary garments

Ordinary clothing is not covered by any EU harmonisation legislation that requires CE marking. CE marking is compulsory only for products covered by specific New Approach directives and regulations, and it is forbidden to affix the mark to other products. Do not put a CE mark on a plain T-shirt, a dress, or a pair of jeans: a false CE mark is itself an offence and signals to authorities and buyers that the supplier does not understand EU product law.

The exception that proves the rule is personal protective equipment: high-visibility workwear, protective gloves, and similar products fall under the PPE Regulation and do carry CE marking with a notified body number where applicable. If your range spans fashion and protective workwear, classify each product line separately and keep the compliance files apart.

5. Care labelling, price indication, and consumer information in German

Care symbols follow ISO 3758. They are voluntary in strict legal terms across the EU, but German consumers and retailers expect them, and misleading care information can breach consumer protection law if garments are damaged by following the stated instructions. Use the ISO symbols correctly, verify that the stated care treatment is actually safe for the garment (test it), and keep the care testing on file.

Price indications must follow the German Price Indication Ordinance (PAngV), including unit pricing where applicable and the total price inclusive of VAT. In online shops, the price, shipping costs, and delivery information must be presented according to the same rules. Consumer information that the law requires, fibre composition, warnings, the identity of the responsible economic operator, must be in German. Marketing copy can be multilingual; legal information cannot be English-only.

6. Germany-specific duties: LUCID packaging registration

Before placing packaged goods on the German market, register in the LUCID packaging register under the German Packaging Act (VerpackG) and join a dual system (packaging compliance scheme) for sales packaging. This applies to shipping packaging too: the mailer box, the polybag, and the void fill you send to the German consumer all count. Report packaging volumes as required, and keep the registration number ready: marketplaces operating in Germany check packaging registration and can block listings without it.

If you sell through fulfilment or marketplace models, clarify in writing who holds the packaging duty for each shipment. The duty follows the party that first places the packaged product on the German market, and assumptions here are a classic source of double registration or, worse, no registration.

7. On the horizon: digital product passports for textiles

Under the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR, Regulation (EU) 2024/1781), textiles are among the product groups for which digital product passports are being developed. The Commission has launched the Digital Product Passport Registry with a testing environment, and the system will progressively cover product groups including textiles. A passport will eventually require machine-readable product data per item, accessible via a data carrier such as a QR code.

No immediate labelling duty follows from this today, but the direction is clear: build your product data (fibre composition, materials origin, care and repair information, supply chain identifiers) in structured form now so it can feed a passport later. Brands that keep product data in spreadsheets and PDFs will face an expensive retrofit; brands with structured product information management will adapt quickly.

Frequently asked questions

Does clothing need CE marking?

No, not ordinary garments. CE marking applies to products under specific EU harmonisation legislation, and clothing is not among them. Affixing a CE mark to ordinary clothing is forbidden. Personal protective equipment is the separate category with its own CE rules.

Do I need German-language labels?

Yes, for the information the law requires: fibre composition, warnings, and economic operator identification must be in German for the German market. Care symbols are pictorial, but any accompanying text must be understandable to German consumers.

What about second-hand or vintage clothing?

The labelling and safety duties apply to products placed on the market; second-hand goods have specific considerations under market surveillance practice. Check the current rules for used goods before building a resale offer, and keep the traceability chain intact.

Can I sell on Amazon Germany or other marketplaces without LUCID registration?

No. Packaging registration is a legal duty tied to placing packaged goods on the German market, regardless of sales channel. Marketplaces check registration and can suspend listings that lack it.

My supplier provides a fibre composition. Can I rely on it?

Only with verification. Get the composition in writing as a supplier declaration, spot-check with laboratory analysis (especially for high-risk claims such as "100% cashmere" or "organic cotton"), and re-verify when you change suppliers or mills. The legal responsibility for a wrong label sits with you, not the mill.

When will digital product passports apply to clothing?

The ESPR framework is in place and the Commission's Digital Product Passport Registry is operational with a testing environment, but product-group-specific requirements arrive via delegated acts on their own timelines. There is no immediate labelling duty today; prepare by structuring your product data now.

Official sources

• Regulation (EU) No 1007/2011 on textile fibre names and labelling (Publications Office)
• LUCID packaging register (Germany)
• EU Access2Markets: product requirements per market
• Digital Product Passport Registry launch (European Commission)

Last verified

September 2026. This guide covers ordinary apparel, not PPE, medical devices, or children's nightwear with special flammability rules. Digital product passport duties are phased; confirm the current timeline for textiles.

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