21 April 2026
EU Digital Product Passport explained: ESPR rules, timeline and what it means for fashion
- Production
Do you sometimes struggle to get your funding fully in place?
You’re working hard on a fairer and more circular fashion industry, but you need more resources to grow, innovate or stand out. The good news: every year there are recurring and new opportunities for brands, retailers and innovators in the textile sector to access financial support and international recognition.
This article gives you a practical overview of calls that come around annually for fashion businesses in Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany and across Europe.
For Belgian businesses only
1. KMO-portefeuille (VLAIO) training subsidies
Through the KMO-portefeuille, Flemish SMEs can apply for financial support to follow a training course with a recognized provider. Eligible topics include sustainability, strategy, internationalisation, marketing and sector-specific skills. Useful if you want to follow training on sustainability reporting, pricing, e‑commerce, or communication strategy.
Who is this for?
For any fashion brand or shop with an operating base in Flanders that is registered as an SME. Small businesses receive 30% support, medium-sized businesses 20%, with a maximum of €7,500 per year. For training on sustainability topics, the rate increases to 45% (small business) or 35% (medium-sized business).
What are the requirements?
You are an SME with a base in the Flemish Region, active in the private sector, with an eligible legal form. Non-profit associations (vzw’s) are not eligible.
How to apply?
Fully digital via the ‘e‑loketondernemers’ portal or the VLAIO app. Submit your application after registering for the training, no later than 14 days after the start date of the first session.
2. FIT subsidies: trade fairs and niche events for international growth
Flanders Investment & Trade financially supports Flemish SMEs in participating in international trade fairs or niche events abroad. A niche event is a foreign event with international reach, aimed at your sector and target audience, such as renting a space during Paris Fashion Week or a booth at Neonyt Düsseldorf. There is also a separate subsidy for developing a multilingual webshop or company video.
Who is this for?
For any Flemish fashion brand looking to grow internationally. For trade fair participation you can count on up to €7,500, and for a niche event up to €3,750 if you have fewer than four approved applications with FIT. For a multilingual webshop or company video: up to €4,500.
What are the requirements?
SME with registered office in the Flemish Region, Belgian company number, and compliant with social and tax legislation. You’re not allowed to receive another subsidy for the same costs.
How to apply?
Fully online via the Flanders Investment & Trade website. Submit your application no later than seven calendar days before the start of the fair or event.
For Dutch businesses only
3. RVO: Subsidy for Testing Circular Biopolyesters (STCB)
The STCB is a subsidy from the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) for entrepreneurs active in the circular value chain of polyesters who want to test bio-based polyesters or their building blocks in their business. For fashion brands and textile producers, the relevant application is: testing whether bio-based materials such as PLA, PHA or bio-PET are suitable as a raw material or component for clothing, interior textiles or other textile applications.
In short: do you have an idea to replace synthetic textiles with a bio-based alternative, but want to first test whether it works technically and commercially? Then this subsidy is exactly what you need. In 2025, the full budget of €1.5 million was allocated, and 90% of applicants received the subsidy. You typically receive a verdict within 8 weeks.
Who is this for?
The subsidy targets businesses in the production chain of bio-based polyesters: from bio-raw material processors and polymer producers to converters, brand owners and end producers in the textile sector that make products partially or entirely from polyester. It is relevant if you are actively working on the transition from conventional synthetic textiles to bio-based alternatives and want to carry out concrete material tests.
What are the requirements?
Both SMEs and large businesses are eligible. Your project takes place in the Netherlands or contributes to the circular economy in the Netherlands. Your project relates to testing bio-based polyesters: processability, material properties, recyclability or market response to your biopolyester product. You may apply a maximum of twice per calendar year for different projects.
How to apply?
Applications are open from 26 February 2026 until 22 October 2026 via the RVO website. You receive 50% subsidy on the costs you incur, up to a maximum of €25,000. The total budget for 2026 is €4 million. Applications are assessed in order of receipt.
4. RVO: DEI+ Circular Economy (Demonstration of Energy and Climate Innovation)
The DEI+ Circular Economy is an RVO subsidy for businesses that want to test or demonstrate an innovation that contributes to the circular economy and reduces CO₂ emissions. It covers pilot or demonstration projects around smarter use of raw materials, circular processing of waste, recycling of materials, or circular product design.
For the fashion sector, this means: an innovative textile processing or recycling project you want to test at pilot scale, for example, a fibre-to-fibre recycling system, a process to sort or decontaminate textile waste, or a new production method that replaces primary raw materials with secondary ones.
Who is this for?
For larger businesses in the Netherlands working on a pilot or demonstration of an innovative technique in the circular economy, with the aim of reducing CO₂ emissions.
What are the requirements?
You carry out a pilot or demonstration project within the circular economy. Your project reduces CO₂ emissions in the Netherlands within 10 years of starting. Your project lasts a maximum of 4 years. You substantiate both the technical workings and the viability (technically and economically) in the Dutch market. You may not start the project or incur costs before submitting your application.
How to apply?
The 2025 subsidy round ran from 28 January to 28 August 2025 with a total budget of €80 million. The subsidy was temporarily closed in January 2026. The Dutch government will decide in spring 2026 whether a new application round will open later this year.
Status 2026: temporarily closed. Sign up for updates via the RVO website to be the first to know when a new round opens.
For European businesses
5. Belgian Fashion Awards: Changemaker of the Year category
The Belgian Fashion Awards are organised annually by Flanders DC, MAD Brussels, WBDM, Knack Weekend and Le Vif Weekend to put the reputation, creativity and diversity of Belgian fashion in the spotlight, nationally and internationally.
The Changemaker of the Year category is meant specifically for people and organisations working to change the fashion industry through inclusivity or responsible business practices.
Previous winners include REantwerp (2024) and Masjien (2025), proving that impactful stories do get noticed in Belgium. Winners receive national and international media coverage through Knack Weekend and Le Vif Weekend and are included in the campaign of all organising partners. No cash prize, but significant brand recognition that opens doors.
Who is this for?
For fashion brands, designers, consultants, agencies or creative businesses that actively work on sustainability, inclusivity or systemic change in fashion, and have a strong connection to the Belgian fashion industry. Open to both established names and emerging players.
What are the requirements?
You are active in the Belgian fashion scene; this can also mean actively collaborating with Belgian entrepreneurs as a partner or designer from the Netherlands or another European country. You can demonstrate that you’ve worked towards changes in the industry over the past 12 months. The jury values consistency, impact, and a clear vision.
How to apply?
Via a free online form. The open call typically opens in May, with the awards show taking place in November each year. Keep an eye on the website and Instagram for the launch of the open call for the next edition.
6. BKRK award: Bokrijk & VAKlab in partnership with Flanders DC
The BKRK award is an annual competition that challenges creative talent and craftspeople to translate their craft around a central material theme into an entrepreneurial product or concept. Each edition focuses on a different theme, making the award particularly relevant for designers working at the intersection of craftsmanship and innovation.
Winners receive individual coaching from two experts, professional photography, a mention in the Bokrijk and Flanders DC communications campaign, and a presence at the WONDER Creativity Festival in Kortrijk.
Who is this for?
For designers, makers and creative entrepreneurs from across Europe who work with textiles, fibres or bio-based materials and want to turn their craft into a scalable product or business idea. Open to both starters and established makers. Applications may be submitted in Dutch or English.
What are the requirements?
Your submission is original and does not infringe the rights of third parties. Selected participants must be physically present at all planned contact moments: jury, coaching, and closing event.
How to apply?
Online via the Bokrijk website. The deadline for the 2026 edition with the theme #FIBRES (flax, wool, biomaterials) was 6 April. Keep an eye on the website for the theme and deadline of the next edition. The call typically opens in autumn.
7. Henry van de Velde Awards: Ecodesign by OVAM and Environment categories
The Henry van de Velde Awards are the most prestigious design prizes in Flanders, set up by Flanders DC and VLAIO. Two categories are particularly relevant for COSH! partners.
The Environment category rewards systems, services and products that tackle complex environmental challenges. Think of a circular retail concept, a textile take-back service, or a platform that increases transparency in the supply chain.
The Ecodesign by OVAM award goes to a business or designer that acts as a role model for the sector, with ecodesign as a thread running through the entire company culture and the designed products or services. Key criteria are impact, growth potential, vision, and continuity.
Winners receive a trophy, inclusion in an exclusive publication, and a broad international communications campaign. The Young Talent Award for studios that have been active for a maximum of 10 years also includes a cash prize of €10,000.
Who is this for?
The submission must have a clear Flemish connection, either through the designer, the client, the studio, or the end customer based in the Flemish Region. You do not need to be based in Flanders yourself: a Dutch or German brand working with a Flemish designer or client is also eligible.
What are the requirements?
The product or service must have been launched on the market between 1 June of the previous year and the end of May of the application year. One project may be submitted in a maximum of two categories. Participation is entirely free. Note: Ecodesign by OVAM and the Gold Awards are selected by the jury; you cannot actively apply for these, but your submission in another category may inspire the jury to nominate you.
How to apply?
Online via henryvandevelde.be, completely free. Applications typically open in April and close at the end of May. The website has a countdown showing when the next edition opens.
8. Fashion Pioneers Awards
The Fashion Pioneers Awards support European fashion and textile pioneers working on systemic change in the industry. The award does not focus on incremental improvements or standalone responsible products, but on entrepreneurs and organisations building a different business model that structurally changes the industry.
Who is this for?
For brands and organisations in the EU with a demonstrable story of structural change, think circular platforms, transparency initiatives, fair production programmes or regenerative supply chains.
How to apply?
Verify the exact deadline and criteria via the official channels, as this information changes annually.
9. Bundespreis Ecodesign (German Ecodesign Award)
The Bundespreis Ecodesign is Germany’s highest state prize for ecological design, awarded annually by the Federal Ministry for the Environment and the Federal Environment Agency in partnership with the International Design Center Berlin. Four categories: Product, Service, Concept and Young Talent.
Winners receive an official trophy, the right to use the state logo freely in all communications, participation in a traveling exhibition, and a short film about their project. Students in the Young Talent category also receive €1,000 in prize money. The awards ceremony takes place every year at the end of November at the Federal Ministry for the Environment in Berlin.
Who is this for?
Businesses and startups of all sectors and sizes, designers and students from across Europe, you do not need to be based in Germany. Fashion and textiles are explicitly named theme areas. International businesses may participate if their product or service is available on or aimed at the German market.
What are the requirements?
Products on the European market or prototypes with a planned market launch, services, concepts in the development phase and student work are all eligible. Purely process-based solutions without an application context are excluded. In the Product, Service and Concept categories, an entry fee is required depending on company size.
How to apply?
Online only via the website. Multiple entries may be submitted per participant. A separate form must be completed for each entry. Applications typically open in January.
10. Green Product Award: Fashion category
The Green Product Award Fashion is an annual international award for innovative and more responsibly produced fashion items in the categories clothing, shoes, accessories and bags. The award is presented at Neonyt Düsseldorf, one of Europe’s leading platforms for responsible fashion.
Winners are published in the annual Green Trend Book featuring more than 200 innovations with measurable environmental credentials. An added benefit: all participants receive an independent assessment of their product in line with the Green Claims Directive, useful if you want to sharpen your communications compliance. Did you know COSH! can also help you with Green Claims Directive compliance? Read more here.
Who is this for?
For brands with a market-ready product that combines design with demonstrable environmental impact. Open to both startups and established brands operating nationally or internationally.
What are the requirements?
An international jury assesses your approach, execution, impact, design, responsible production and innovation. The entry fee is €450. If nominated as a finalist, a finalist package of €1,450 is added.
How to apply?
Online via the website. The annual call typically opens in summer.
11. eBay Circular Fashion Fund
The eBay Circular Fashion Fund supports fashion businesses working on circular solutions. Eight selected finalists each receive a grant of $50,000. The Global Winner also receives the opportunity for an additional investment of $300,000 from eBay Ventures. Alongside the funding, finalists get access to mentoring, investor workshops, and eBay’s international network.
The programme entered its fourth edition in 2026 and has already supported more than 25 businesses, from AI-driven textile sorters to repair platforms. New in 2026: for the first time, EU-based businesses are eligible.
Who is this for?
For businesses developing solutions that keep clothing in use longer, promote circular flows and reduce textile waste. Think repair platforms, rental concepts, textile recycling or resale models. Businesses must have been active for a minimum of 6 months and a maximum of 6 years.
What are the requirements?
You have a registered business in the EU with a clear circular fashion solution, growth ambitions and an approach that aligns with eBay’s platform goals. Applications are assessed on innovation, differentiation, use of technology and scalability.
How to apply?
Online via the eBay website. The programme returns annually, typically with the call opening in January.
12. Visa × Global Fashion Agenda: Recycle the Runway
Recycle the Runway is a European programme by Global Fashion Agenda and Visa that supports emerging fashion entrepreneurs in building circular business models.
A total of 15 winners are selected to share a prize pool of €110,000. Ten winners share €50,000, four winners each receive €10,000, and the Grand Prize Winner receives €20,000 plus an invitation to the Global Fashion Summit in Copenhagen, individual matching with a solution provider for co-creation and expert mentoring.
The programme launched in the UK in 2025 and expanded across Europe in 2026.
Who is this for?
Open to creatives working in upcycling, textiles, accessories, footwear or clothing, who have been registered as a business owner in Europe for at least one year. The business must be primarily active in Europe and operate according to circular principles: resell, repair, rental, refill, return or redistribute.
What are the requirements?
The business is registered and based in Europe for at least one year. Shortlisted candidates must be available for the Global Fashion Summit in Copenhagen (usually early May). Maximum one submission per person.
How to apply?
Online via the Global Fashion Agenda application form. The call typically opens at the start of the year.
13. Zalando Design Academy (in partnership with VORN Berlin)
The Zalando Design Academy is Zalando’s annual Social Impact programme, developed in partnership with VORN — The Berlin Fashion Hub. It connects emerging designers and young European brands with industry experts, tools and networks for responsible innovation. Each edition focuses on a specific innovation theme. The 2026 edition (NOVA) centred around material innovation.
The ten best participants receive a scholarship for an eight-week design sprint with a partial in-person stay in Berlin and present their work during Berlin Fashion Week. No cash prize, but enormous added value in terms of network, mentoring and visibility with Zalando and its 1,800+ brand partners.
Who is this for?
For freelance designers and designers linked to emerging or established European brands who want to work with innovative, responsibly sourced materials.
What are the requirements?
You are an active European designer or work for a European brand with an open mindset towards material innovation and systemic change. The first eight weeks are fully remote. Selected participants must be available for in-person sessions in Berlin.
How to apply?
Via an online open call on the Zalando Corporate website and the VORN website. The call is expected to open around April.
14. Zalando Visionary Award
The Zalando Visionary Award recognises excellence in design, innovation and social impact among emerging European fashion designers. The award is directly linked to the sustainability requirements of Copenhagen Fashion Week. The winner presents their next runway collection at Copenhagen Fashion Week, with full financial support from Zalando for the show production, including mentoring and casting.
In 2026, the Milanese label INSTITUTION by Galib Gassanoff won. This is a social-artistic organisation that keeps forgotten craft skills alive through fashion.
Who is this for?
For emerging European fashion designers with a distinctive vision and a demonstrable story at the intersection of creativity, social impact and measurable environmental credentials.
What are the requirements?
You meet the sustainability requirements of Copenhagen Fashion Week and have a clear, distinctive design vision. Selection takes place through the Copenhagen Fashion Week selection process.
How to apply?
Through the Copenhagen Fashion Week selection process. The open call typically runs in autumn for the following year’s edition.
15. Textile Exchange Climate & Nature Impact Awards
Textile Exchange presents annual awards to individuals and partnerships making measurable progress towards a regenerative raw materials economy in textiles. Categories: Innovation, Climate, Nature and Collaboration. Winners receive a free ticket to the annual Textile Exchange Conference and are featured as a case study. Both members and non-members can participate.
Who is this for?
These awards are more relevant for textile producers, recyclers, suppliers and supply chain partners than for brands or retailers. That said, they are worth considering for projects with a technology-driven or production-led circular story such as a brand that has integrated fibre-to-fibre recycling or works with a regenerative fibre producer.
What are the requirements?
Demonstrable measurable impact at the level of raw materials, recycling or ecosystems. Nominations are assessed by an independent panel, followed by an internal Textile Exchange jury.
How to apply?
Online via the nomination form on the Textile Exchange website. The deadline for the 2025 edition was 22 July.
16. Textiles Recycling Awards
This is a new awards show that took place for the first time on 24 – 25 June 2026 at Brussels Expo, as part of the Textiles Recycling Expo. The awards recognise individuals, businesses and partnerships shaping the future of circular textiles. The Retailer of the Year category is specifically for retailers leading circular fashion practices.
Who is this for?
For shops and brands with a demonstrable circular story around textile collection, repair or reuse. The Brussels location makes this particularly accessible for Belgian partners, but the award is open to all European submissions.
How to apply?
Free applications for the first edition closed on 13 March 2026. Keep an eye on the Textiles Recycling Expo website for a possible second edition.
Ready to take the next step?
Every day, you are building a fairer fashion industry. That deserves visibility, recognition and the resources to keep growing. Whether you are a starter trying to convince a jury for the first time or an established brand ready for the international stage, there is a call that fits who you are and what you do.
Frequently asked questions
How do I start a grant or award application?
Choose one or a few calls to focus on this year. One well-developed application is better than three rushed ones. Read the goals of the call carefully and align your story with them. It is important to substantiate your business or project clearly and concretely.
What funding is available for small fashion brands in Belgium in 2026?
The most accessible options are the KMO-portefeuille for training, FIT subsidies for trade fair participation or events such as Paris Fashion Week, the Henry van de Velde Awards and the Belgian Fashion Awards. For circular innovation, the eBay Circular Fashion Fund (open EU-wide) is also worth exploring.
How do I apply for the eBay Circular Fashion Fund as a European business?
Via the eBay website, you submit an online application with a description of your circular fashion solution, your growth strategy and how your approach aligns with eBay’s goals. The call opens annually in January. Your business must have been active for a minimum of 6 months and a maximum of 6 years and must be based in the EU.
What is the Bundespreis Ecodesign and can I enter as a Belgian or Dutch brand?
The Bundespreis Ecodesign is Germany’s highest state prize for ecological design, awarded annually since 2012. You can enter as a Belgian or Dutch brand if your product or service is available on the European market or aimed at the German market. You do not need to be based in Germany. The call opens annually in January. Applications are submitted exclusively online via bundespreis-ecodesign.de/en.
What annual awards exist specifically for the Belgian fashion industry?
The most relevant is the Belgian Fashion Awards (Changemaker of the Year category – annual, free, open call in May). This gives you broad media reach via Flanders DC, Knack Weekend and other partners.
What is the difference between a subsidy and an award, and what does each one offer?
A subsidy (such as the KMO-portefeuille or the eBay Circular Fashion Fund) is direct financial support that helps you do something: follow training, innovate, internationalise. An award (such as the Belgian Fashion Awards or the Bundespreis Ecodesign) brings recognition, credibility and visibility, which also has indirect commercial value. Ideally you combine the two: use subsidies to strengthen your work and awards to show it to the world.
