Workwear, uniforms and corporate clothing

• Regulation (EU) 2016/425 — PPE where protective
• Regulation (EU) No 1007/2011 — textile labelling
• Regulation (EU) 2023/988 — GPSR
• Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 — REACH

Who has to appoint one

Manufacturers and suppliers outside the Union placing workwear on the EU market. The dividing line is protection: a branded polo shirt is a textile product, while high-visibility, flame-resistant, cut-resistant or chemical protective clothing is PPE with type examination by a notified body.

Thresholds and exemptions

None. Even Category I protective garments need CE marking and a declaration of conformity, and high-visibility clothing is Category II at minimum.

What must appear on the label

For textiles: fibre composition, care instructions, size, and the manufacturer and responsible person details. For PPE: CE marking with the notified body number where production surveillance applies, the standard reference, the performance class, the pictogram and the instructions including the number of permitted wash cycles.

Marketplace fields

Marketplaces and B2B buyers check the notified body number on high-visibility clothing, and garments citing EN ISO 20471 without a certificate are removed. Corporate buyers ask for the certificate because their own workplace liability depends on it.

Documentation you must hold

For PPE: EU declaration of conformity, technical documentation, EU type-examination certificate and the production surveillance arrangements. For textiles: fibre composition evidence, REACH compliance for dyes and finishes, and the GPSR risk analysis.

Standards and testing

EN ISO 20471 for high-visibility clothing including luminance after washing, EN ISO 11612 for heat and flame, EN 388 for cut protection in gloves, EN 13034 for chemical splash, and colour fastness and dimensional stability for ordinary workwear.

Language requirements

Instructions, performance levels and washing limits in the language of each member state of sale, since the number of wash cycles is a safety parameter for high-visibility garments.

When it applies

Before placing on the market. Type-examination certificates last a maximum of five years.

How long records are kept

Ten years for the documentation and the certificate.

What happens if you do not comply

Withdrawal and fines, plus employer liability where protective clothing fails. High-visibility garments that lose retroreflectivity after washing are a recurring finding.

Who enforces it

Market surveillance authorities, labour inspectorates, notified bodies and customs.

Where the boundary lies

Printing a logo on a certified garment can invalidate the certification if the print covers reflective bands or alters the flame behaviour, and the printer then becomes the manufacturer of a modified product. This is the single most common error in corporate clothing.

Questions we are asked

Does adding our logo affect certification?

It can. Printing over reflective tape or on flame-resistant fabric changes the tested configuration, and the modifier becomes the manufacturer unless the print method is covered by the original certificate.

Is high-visibility clothing PPE?

Yes, Category II under EN ISO 20471, requiring EU type-examination by a notified body.