#Raw Materials

2024-12-05

Better Cotton joins Make the Label Count Coalition

Better Cotton is joining more than 50 natural fibre organisations and environmental groups in supporting calls for an urgent revision of the European Commission’s Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) methodology.

© 2024 Photo credit: Make the Label Count

Better Cotton has joined the Make the Label Count coalition to amplify calls for the European Commission to revise its method of calculating the environmental impact of textile fibres.

Hélène Bohyn, Policy & Advocacy Manager at Better Cotton, said: "Make the Label Count is an incredibly important movement. EU regulators are shaping the future of the fashion and textile sectors as we speak. The methodology they adopt will play the hugely important role of telling the story of sustainability progress across our industry and beyond, and will be critical to eradicating greenwashing".

Hélène Bohyn, Policy & Advocacy Manager at Better Cotton

Backed by more than 50 natural fibre organisations and environmental groups, Make the Label Count advocates for fair, transparent and credible sustainability information across the fashion and textile sectors.

The coalition takes issue with the way in which the European Commission’s Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) methodology currently calculates the impact of natural fibres compared to synthetic materials for apparel and footwear. In its current form, the PEF methodology deems a 100% polyester T-shirt to be 42% more sustainable than a 100% cotton t-shirt.

The coalition has highlighted that this is because the PEF methodology currently fails to account for significant environmental impacts unique to synthetic fibres, including microplastic emissions, post-consumer plastic waste, and the fact such materials are not renewable.

“We’ve had major advancements in research and knowledge around the environmental impacts of the textile industry, but these aren’t included in the current methodology,” explained Make The Label Count co-spokesperson Elke Hortmeyer, also from Bremen Cotton Exchange. “Current methodology does not adequately consider microplastic release, biodegradability nor renewability, which are the areas where natural fibres really shine.”

Make the Label Count calls on the European Commission to amend the PEF methodology by integrating environmental indicators that would account for these three impact areas and ensure that the PEF methodology is truly representative of each fibre’s complete lifecycle and impact.

Better Cotton Initiative opens enrollment in the US with promising opportunities for producers

Producer enrollment for the US Program of the Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) is open until May 15 for the 2026-2027 season. With over 2,600 members spanning the cotton supply chain and more than 11,000 users of its Better Cotton Platform (BCP) as of 2025, BCI’s standard is implemented in 15 countries and covers one fifth of global cotton production.

AMSilk and Ajinomoto Foods Europe expand partnership to enable industrial-scale production of silk proteins

AMSilk GmbH (“AMSilk”), a global leader leader in biotech produced silk materials, today announced a significant expansion of its partnership with Ajinomoto Foods Europe (AFE), marking a key step in scaling the industrial production of its silk proteins. Building on the collaboration first established in 2023, the two companies have now entered into a long-term manufacturing and supply agreement, enabling the transition from industrial validation to dedicated, large-scale production.

Cotton made in Africa partners receive top marks in independent verifications

Cotton made in Africa® (CmiA) and CmiA Organic are two internationally recognised standards that aim to promote sustainable development in the African cotton sector south of the Sahara. To ensure the standards’ credibility among brands, retailers, and consumers, independent verifiers evaluate compliance on the ground. The verification results for 2025, now published in the Aggregated Verification & Implementation Report, were very strong: The verifiers awarded consistently very good remarks regarding management, people, prosperity, and the environment.

Cotton ConneXions Insight to Impact brings supply chain leaders together around cotton innovation

Cotton Incorporated’s Cotton ConneXions Insight to Impact brought together more than 300 industry leaders from 140 companies across 10 countries, including more than 45 top global brands and sourcing organizations, underscoring strong global interest in cotton-rich product development, sourcing and supply chain collaboration.

Ence and ShareTex begin initial testing of the ATENEA innovation project to promote textile recycling in Spain

Ence and ShareTex are making progress on the Atenea R&D project, which aims to develop a complete value chain for textile recycling in Spain. Specifically, the goal of the ATENEA project—which is funded by the Center for Technological Development and Innovation (CDTI)—is to connect all the necessary stages for the recovery of textile waste, from collection and management, through recycling and transformation into new raw materials, to their incorporation into new textile products.

DePoly Inaugurates its Showcase Plant in Monthey Switzerland

What if used plastic bottles, PET packaging material and polyester textiles could become raw materials just as high performing as virgin resources? That is the ambition of DePoly, a circular materials company based in Sion, Switzerland which inaugurated its Showcase Plant in Monthey on July 6th & 7th. The first depolymerization facility of its kind and scale in Switzerland, this industrial Showcase Plant represents a major milestone in the company's growth and its journey toward commercialization.

Commission clarifies rules on plastic bottles recycling

The European Commission today adopted new rules on recycling of single-use plastic beverage bottles made primarily of polyethylene terephthalate (PET bottles). These rules establish, for the first time, a methodology to calculate, verify and report chemically recycled content. This is part of the Commission’s December 2025 plastics package.