The Philippines is preparing for tighter global requirements on textile traceability and sustainability, with the Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Textile Research Institute (DoST-PTRI) pushing digital product passports and stronger use of locally available natural fibers.

DoST-PTRI director Julius Leano Jr. said Monday the country needs to prepare for the global rollout of digital product passports, which would allow textile products to be traced and assessed for their materials, production and environmental impact before reaching international markets.

“It just means that before the product comes out from the Philippines, it already has a passport. It has already arrived in Europe. They already know what will come to them,” Leano said during the opening of the 2026 Philippine Textile Congress and the first Global Textile Congress at the UP Bahay ng Alumni in Diliman, Quezon City.

Leano said the passports would require disclosure of information including materials used, production location, water consumption and carbon footprint.

“For us, it needs a full disclosure of all of the materials, where it was made, how much water was spent, how much carbon footprint, etc.,” he said.

The congress featured discussions on digital product passports, sustainable fashion and textile policy, with experts from the Philippines and abroad.

Leano said the Philippines is also studying Austria’s circularity model, which includes collecting post-consumer and post-industrial textile waste, testing materials and improving labeling and recycling practices.

He said the country must also better manage its supply of natural fibers from agricultural crops such as abaca, pineapple and banana, particularly as extreme weather threatens agricultural production.