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Greece Apparel Labelling: The Greek-Language Rule and Its Exemption

Kolkata 06 SEPTEMBER 2026By Surajmal Editorial Team10 min read

Published 6 September 2026

For a garment sold to a consumer in Greece, the fibre-content declaration starts at EU level: Regulation (EU) No 1007/2011 sets the generic fibre names, the composition percentages and the format every member state shares. The Regulation requires the labelling or marking to be provided in the official language or languages of the Member State where the textile product is made available to the consumer, unless that Member State provides otherwise. It also requires information other than the fibre-composition description to be displayed separately. For the shared groundwork, see our garment labelling guide. [1] [2]

What must appear on an apparel label sold in Greece?

Regulation 1007/2011 requires the name and percentage by weight of all constituent fibres, in descending order, using the fibre names set out in the Regulation's own annex. A fibre accounting for up to 5% of total weight, or fibres collectively accounting for up to 15%, may be shown as “other fibres” with their combined percentage, but only where they cannot easily be stated at the time of manufacture. That is a narrow derogation, not a threshold below which a fibre may go undeclared. [1]

Label fieldGreek requirementProduction record to use
Fibre contentGeneric names and percentages per Regulation (EU) 1007/2011Final fabric and component specification
LanguageOfficial language or languages of the Member State where the product is made available to the consumer, unless that Member State provides otherwiseApproved language artwork
Care instructionsProgramme-led care contentApproved care-content decision and artwork
ToleranceUndeclared extraneous fibres below 2%, or below 5% after carding, only where technically unavoidable in good manufacturing practice and not routinely added; a separate 3% manufacturing tolerance under Article 20Lab test report against declared composition
Importer responsibilityWhere the manufacturer is not established in the Union, the importer must ensure the supply and accuracy of the fibre labelLegal entity and label responsibility confirmed at order

Where a textile product has two or more textile components with different fibre contents, the label or marking must state the fibre content of each component. That is not compulsory where the components are not main linings and represent less than 30% of the total weight of the textile product. Confirm the construction and component weights before label copy is frozen.

Does a Greece label need care instructions or an origin mark by law?

We prepare Greece-market labels with care instructions and country-of-origin wording when your programme calls for them, then submit the artwork for your approval before bulk.

Regulation (EU) No 1007/2011 does not itself impose a country-of-origin marking duty. Where country-of-origin wording is used, ensure it is accurate and supportable under applicable consumer-protection law and display it separately from the fibre-composition description. The Regulation's origin provision forms part of a review of possible new labelling requirements and an origin-labelling scheme; it does not replace the rules that apply to an origin statement that is displayed. We provide care-symbol artwork and origin wording as programme elements before release. [1]

How does the language rule work?

For textile products covered by Regulation (EU) No 1007/2011, the label or marking must be provided in the official language or languages of the Member State where the product is made available to the consumer, unless that Member State provides otherwise. The fibre-composition description must use the textile fibre names and descriptions set out in the Regulation. It must be easily legible, visible and clear, and the description must be visible to the consumer before purchase, including online. Keep the language treatment and the composition description together in the approved artwork and make any additional information visually separate from the fibre-composition description. [2]

Label elementWhat Regulation (EU) No 1007/2011 establishesProduction approach
Fibre-composition descriptionUse the Regulation's textile fibre names and descriptions, in the relevant official language or languages unless the Member State provides otherwiseMatch the approved description to the final bill of materials
Additional informationDisplay separately from the fibre-composition descriptionKeep origin wording, brand copy and other additional information distinct from the composition statement

The language rule applies to the labelling or marking supplied with the textile product, while the composition rule governs the names and descriptions used for the fibres themselves. A practical approval should therefore compare the final bill of materials with the completed composition statement, then confirm that the language version used for the market is the approved one. This is particularly important for a blend, because each declared fibre and its percentage must correspond to the finished product. It is also important to keep origin wording, care symbols, trade marks and other brand material distinct from the fibre-composition description where the Regulation requires other information to be displayed separately.

What does Greece's fine structure for a labelling gap look like?

Article 61 sets a fixed administrative fine of €500 per product code for incomplete marking or labelling. It is charged per code, not per garment or per shipment, which means a single missed field repeated across several product codes multiplies the exposure by the number of codes affected, not by the number of units. [2]

RequirementBasisWhat it means in practice
Fixed fine for incomplete labellingArticle 61, ΥΑ 91354/2017€500 per product code found incomplete
SamplingΔΙΜΕΑ and competent market-control servicesProducts may be sampled for laboratory conformity checks
Enforcement bodyInteragency Market Control Unit (ΔΙΜΕΑ)Runs alongside other competent market-control services

Does Greece have its own rule on children's clothing cords?

We build children's styles to EN 14682 cord and drawstring rules where your programme calls for them, and to your own construction brief where it does not. Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2026/901 lists EN 14682:2014 in Annex I as the European specification for children's clothing cords and drawstrings. It is a safety standard, not a fibre-content labelling rule, and it sits alongside the fields above. [3]

What should be checked when an EU label is prepared for Greece?

An apparel label prepared for one EU market should be checked against the language rule that applies where the textile product is made available to the consumer. Regulation (EU) No 1007/2011 requires the official language or languages of that Member State unless the Member State provides otherwise. The same check should confirm that the composition description uses the Regulation's fibre names and that additional information is displayed separately.

English-only EU labelWhy it falls short in GreeceGreece-specific action
Fibre content in English, correct compositionCheck the language rule for the Member State where the product is made available to the consumerUse the approved language version for the market
Fibre-composition description mixed with brand copyOther information must be displayed separately from the fibre-composition descriptionSeparate the composition statement from origin wording, trade marks and other additional information
Correct tolerance figuresEU tolerances already apply and need no changeNo action beyond the standard EU composition check
Origin statement, if usedIt must be accurate and supportable under applicable consumer-protection law and displayed separately from the fibre-composition descriptionCheck the claim and its placement in the artwork

How should a Greece label be released before bulk?

Release the Greece-market label after the bill of materials is signed off, with the composition statement matched to each declared fibre and percentage, and confirm the language version and separation of additional information before bulk. Also confirm the count of product codes the label will be printed against before assuming the fine exposure for any one run.

Approval stageWhat to lockCheck on the physical garment
Composition reviewFinal fibre names and percentagesLabel matches the approved bill of materials
Language reviewApproved language version and clear separation of additional informationComposition statement and additional information are presented as required
Product-code reviewConfirmed product codes the label design coversEach code carries a complete label
Bulk inspectionSealed artwork revisionCorrect Greece variant on the correct style and colourway

The tech pack should name the Greece label version, record the final fibre composition and identify any additional information that must be kept separate from the composition statement.

What should a buyer send for Greece label approval?

Before label artwork is released, send the final bill of materials for each style, the fibre percentages confirmed by the fabric supplier, the component list for linings and fillings, and the exact product-code list. For a textile product, confirm the importer's responsibility for supply and accuracy of the fibre label where the manufacturer is not established in the Union; do not state that GPSR Article 11(3) identification details apply unless separately established. Mark separately whether care symbols, an origin statement or other brand copy is to be included as a programme choice. The label supplier prepares a Greece version from that package; the buyer or its appointed label reviewer approves the wording and artwork proof before labels are ordered. If composition, a component, a code or brand copy changes after approval, return the amended files for a new proof rather than carrying the earlier label into bulk. This keeps the physical label, purchase order and sealed production file on the same revision.

Short FAQ

Is care labelling mandatory on a Greek apparel label?

We prepare Greece-market label artwork with fibre-content details and care symbols when your programme specifies them, and hand over the approved files for bulk production.

Is a country-of-origin mark required on a Greek garment label?

Where country-of-origin wording is used, ensure it is accurate and supportable under applicable consumer-protection law and display it separately from the fibre-composition description. [1]

Which fibre names can stay in English on a Greek label?

For textile products covered by Regulation (EU) No 1007/2011, use the Regulation's textile fibre names and descriptions and provide the labelling or marking in the official language or languages of the Member State where the product is made available to the consumer, unless that Member State provides otherwise. Confirm the approved market-language version with the importer and keep other information separate from the fibre-composition description. [2]

How is the €500 labelling fine calculated?

Per product code found incomplete, under Article 61. It is not a per-garment or per-shipment figure, so the number of affected product codes, not units shipped, drives the total exposure. [2]

Do children's clothing cords need a separate approval for a Greek order?

No. There is no separate approval step. Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2026/901 publishes EN 14682:2014 as a standard whose application gives a presumption of conformity for the safety risks it covers, which is a route to demonstrating compliance rather than an authorisation to obtain. It is a construction standard and sits apart from fibre labelling. [3]

Why the per-code fine changes how a Greek order should be planned

A fixed €500 fine per product code, not per unit or per shipment, changes what "getting the label right" is worth checking against. A single production run split across five colourways and three sizes, each carrying its own product code under a typical retailer's system, multiplies a single missed fibre name into several separate exposures if the same label error is repeated across every code. The practical response is not to treat any one code as low-risk because the run behind it is small; it is to check the master label artwork once, thoroughly, before it is applied across every code the order covers, since the artwork error, not the code count, is what actually drives the number.

The Greece label judgement

A Greece-bound label needs an EU fibre declaration using the Regulation's fibre names and descriptions, in the relevant official language or languages unless the Member State provides otherwise, with other information displayed separately from the composition statement. The fixed per-code fine is easy to under-estimate once more than one product code is involved, so the composition, language version, separation of additional information and code count are all worth checking before bulk.

Building the Greece label into the production file

Send the tech pack, the Greece-bound quantity by style and colour, and the product codes the order covers, and the quote that comes back includes the market-language fibre label, with the composition statement and additional information prepared as separate elements alongside production. For the shared fibre-labelling baseline Greece sits inside, see the European Union import guide. For a programme built to your own label from tech pack through to bulk, private label manufacturing covers labels, care labels and hang tags prepared to your artwork.

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