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EU Workwear Regulations — Knowledge Hub

A live reference covering PPE categories, EN ISO standards, CSRD, CSDDD, and REACH — with factory-side action points for every regulation. Built for the factories in our network. Available to any European brand that needs to understand what the regulations actually require.

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Resources

Essays and whitepapers on producing in Asia for European brands.

Field notes from Da Nang. Written by Simon, not a content team.

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CSRD for European workwear brands producing in Asia: what factories can and cannot document today

A practical reading of CSRD scope 3 Category 1 requirements, what tier-1 and tier-2 suppliers in China, Vietnam, and Bangladesh actually track, and how to close the gap before your first audit.

Country-Product Matching Framework: an introduction

The structured criteria we use to match a product specification to a country and factory profile. First public outline of the selection mechanism.

Eastern Europe as an emerging workwear market: what eastern buyers want and how they differ from western buyers

Poland rarely appears in conversations about workwear growth. It should. The Polish workwear market is one of the fastest-growing in the EU — and the buyer profile is fundamentally different from Spain or France.

Launching a FLUOR range: what your brand needs to know before confirming production

ISO 20471 requirements, colour durability after industrial washing, retroreflective component quality, and personalisation compatibility. The checklist before you confirm a high-visibility range.

Price negotiation with Asia: why the price agreed in January doesn't always survive until May

You negotiate a price in January. You confirm it by email. You build your margin model. In May, the prices have moved. It is not always bad faith — here is what is actually happening, and how to protect yourself without breaking the commercial relationship.

Secondary capacity: what it is, when you need it, and how to develop it in Asia

Your main factory is at full capacity. You have an urgent order and no alternative. Finding production in Asia under time pressure and without an established relationship is one of the hardest — and most expensive — exercises in the sector.

How the order approval chain between Europe and Asia actually works

The brand says the order is confirmed. The factory hasn't started cutting yet. Between commercial confirmation and production start, there are 8 to 12 people involved — and each has their own process.

The Chinese fabric market: what happens when the factory shuts and how it reaches your collection

China stops several times a year — and most European brands find out weeks later, when their fabric hasn't arrived at the Bangladesh or Myanmar factory. How the cascade works and how to anticipate it.

Neck label application in workwear: the technical detail that defines perceived quality

The first thing a person does when they open a new workwear garment is bring it to their neck. What they feel defines their first impression. Here is what controls that — and what to ask the factory.

Fabric tech sheets and samples: the step most European brands skip — and pay for

What a fabric tech sheet must include, why grammage is not just a cost variable, and the four-stage sample process that eliminates production surprises.

Why CVC fabrics are the smart bet for HV polo shirts in workwear

100% polyester dominates HV workwear — but there are three situations where CVC wins. Understanding the grammage, construction and dyeing parameters that actually determine the result.

HV fabric colour and heat transfer: why sublimation destroys fluorescent dyes

Why your HV garment is staining your customer's heat press — and what to specify in the tech pack to prevent it.

What a FOB price actually hides

Three things the quote on the PI does not show you — and the two questions you should always ask before accepting a number from a factory you have not visited.

Why Vietnam and Bangladesh are no longer interchangeable for technical outerwear

Lead time reality, fabric availability, and the slow structural shift that European buyers are ignoring at the quoting stage.

The third option between going direct and using a sourcing agent

Why the two dominant models for European brands producing in Asia both fail the same way — and what an external buying team does differently.

A morning in a softshell mill outside Ningbo

Notes on what you see on a technical fabric audit that never makes it onto the PI.

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