The European Union’s planned implementation of the Digital Product Passport (DPP) from 2028 is pushing Vietnam’s textile and garment industry to begin building the data infrastructure needed to meet the new requirements. The EU has set out a mandatory roadmap for the DPP, making it a prerequisite for apparel products entering the bloc from mid-2028. The move has created significant time pressure for exporting countries while Vietnam’s textile sector remains in the early stages of digital transformation. “Mid-2028 is less than two years away. Meanwhile, the sectors are essentially starting from zero, this is an enormous challenge,” said Tran Cong Chinh, an expert in circular textile policy at the University of Economics and Business under Vietnam National University, Hanoi. Vietnam’s textile industry has yet to establish a systematic digital capability framework or organisational digitalisation strategy. The lack of common supply chain data standards means companies continue to operate fragmented systems, limiting interoperability and making it difficult to meet emerging international requirements. The DPP is not merely a local compliance requirement but represents a broad transformation of quality and traceability infrastructure. According to Phạm Thi Ngoc Tuyen, General Director of Hohenstein Vietnam Laboratory Co, Ltd, more than one trillion products across industries will be affected by the regulation by 2030, including approximately 62.5 billion textile and apparel items. Read More