What applies in 2027
| Cost driver or rule | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Textile services collective agreement | +2.5% (at least €70) since 1 September 2026, terminable with effect from 28 February 2027 at the earliest | in force |
| Statutory minimum wage | €14.60 from 1 January 2027, below the lowest agreed wage in textile services | adopted |
| Natural gas and electricity, producer prices | September 2026: +15.0% and +8.2% year on year | statistics |
| Basic chemicals, producer prices | September 2026: +11.3% year on year | statistics |
| Textiles and clothing, producer prices | May 2026: +2.2% and +3.1% year on year | statistics |
| CO2 price | Corridor of €55 to 65 per tonne, as in 2026 | passed by the Bundestag |
Wages and energy developed very differently in 2026: agreed wages rose by 2.5% in September, while natural gas was 15.0% above the previous year. So consider the wage component and the energy component separately, each weighted by its share of the price.
What makes up the price
Billing is usually based on a weekly flat rate per garment in circulation. It covers the clothing, washing, care, repairs and logistics. With weekly changes, providers usually calculate three garments per item: one being worn, one at the laundry and one in reserve.
The provider DBL, for example, lists the number of wearers, the collection, the garments per person, the change frequency, logos, protective equipment and the location as price factors. Depending on the contract, there are also locker rental, a locker-filling service, emblems and alterations. Instalments and term are fixed from the start of the contract.
What remains with you
The employer pays for personal protective equipment (§ 3(3) ArbSchG, German Occupational Safety and Health Act). The employer must maintain, repair and replace it so that it works properly and is hygienically sound throughout its use (§ 2 PSA-Benutzungsverordnung, German PPE Use Ordinance). Anyone working with food must wear clean work clothing (Regulation (EC) No 852/2004). These obligations remain with you, even if a service provider does the washing. So specify the required records in the contract.
Six points where workwear rental contracts cost money
- Too many garments in circulation. Every garment incurs a weekly flat rate. Base the allocation on actual change requirements, not on the largest conceivable allocation.
- One change cycle for everyone. Weekly changes even where fortnightly would be enough. Changing less often saves delivery runs but needs more garments. Calculate both.
- Residual value at the end of the contract. New garments shortly before the end of the term drive up the residual value you pay when you exit. Stipulate how the residual value declines and that new garments in the final year trigger no residual value.
- Staff turnover without rules. Garments of employees who have left stay in circulation, and losses are charged without proof. Set rules for deregistration, return, handover to successors and proof of losses.
- Extra items. Locker rental, locker-filling service, emblems and alterations as separate items. Check what the flat rate includes and remove what you do not need.
- Price adjustment on everything. If agreed wages rise by 2.5%, the whole price should not rise by 2.5%. A cost element clause ties only the wage component to the collective agreement and the energy component to an energy price index. Agree that it works both upwards and downwards. More on price adjustment clauses
Before you agree to an increase
Ask your service provider in writing:
- How many garments per person are in circulation, and how many of them are worn regularly?
- What is the residual value today, and how will it decline until the end of the contract?
- What is included in the weekly flat rate, and what is not?
- How do you prove losses?
- What share of the price is wages, what share is energy and what share is clothing?
For the review, you need: the contract with the price sheet, the list of wearers, the quantities in circulation per item, the invoices for the last twelve months and the residual value list.
How we renegotiate workwear rental
We reconcile wearer lists, quantities in circulation and invoices, check change cycles and residual values, and break price adjustments down into wages, energy and materials. Our senior negotiators negotiate large contracts in person, together with your buyer. We handle the many small contracts in a standardised, software-supported way according to your rules. You sign off every deal.
Frequently asked questions about rental workwear
Can the laundry service raise prices in 2027 because of higher wages?
The last pay step of the textile services collective agreement, 2.5%, has applied since 1 September 2026. The collective agreement can be terminated with effect from 28 February 2027 at the earliest. Whether and by how much your service provider may raise prices is governed by your price adjustment clause; a rise in agreed wages only justifies an increase in the wage component of the price.
Rent or buy?
Buying tends to pay off for basic items such as polo shirts and for rarely used garments. Buying adds procurement, washing, repairs and storage, and protective clothing must still be maintained and kept hygienically sound.
Who pays for protective clothing?
The employer. Employers may not pass the costs of occupational safety and health on to their employees (§ 3(3) ArbSchG, German Occupational Safety and Health Act).
What happens to the clothing when someone leaves the company?
The contract governs this, usually through a residual value for the garments in circulation. Agree how the residual value declines over the term and whether used garments can be passed on to successors.
Sources
- IG Metall and intex: Tarifsammlung Textile Dienste 2025 bis 2027 (textile services collective agreements, 2025 to 2027), as of 1 December 2025
- DGB: Tarifrunde Textile Dienste 2025, Verhandlungsergebnis (2025 textile services pay round, negotiated outcome)
- Statistisches Bundesamt (Destatis): producer prices in September 2026, press release of 20 October 2026
- Gesamtverband textil+mode: Konjunkturbericht Juli 2026 (economic report), with data from the Statistisches Bundesamt (Destatis)
- German Bundestag: hearing and decision on the Third Act amending the Brennstoffemissionshandelsgesetz (Fuel Emissions Trading Act), 15 October 2026
- Fünfte Mindestlohnanpassungsverordnung (Fifth Minimum Wage Adjustment Ordinance)
- § 2 PSA-Benutzungsverordnung (German PPE Use Ordinance)
- § 3 Arbeitsschutzgesetz (German Occupational Safety and Health Act)
- Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 on the hygiene of foodstuffs, Annex II, Chapter VIII
- DBL: Faktencheck Kosten (cost fact check), accessed 23 October 2026
- handwerk magazin: Berufskleidung kaufen oder mieten? (Buy or rent workwear?), 16 October 2019
