2025 is the year of acceleration for Alliance for European Flax-Linen & Hemp

With this in mind, during the upcoming Milano Unica (4-6 February 2025) and Première Vision (11-13 February 2025) trade fairs, the Alliance will be announcing its 2025 action plan for the Fashion and Home markets:

• Evolution of its Flax-Linen certifications

• Launch of a new digital Flax-Linen Traceability Platform

• Publication of datasets and development of a specific tool for calculating environmental footprint

• Scientific validations of the functional properties of Flax-Linen

• New Flax-Linen & Hemp sourcing platform

The deployment of these five projects is supported by the involvement of a 100% European agro-industrial value chain.

The Alliance for European Flax-Linen & Hemp is committed to collectively implementing its strategic priorities of innovation, creation and sustainable development and has led the way in terms of promoting transparency through its two origin-traceability certifications, aimed at supporting the development of unrivalled European expertise: Masters of LinenTM and European FlaxTM.

The Alliance's holistic strategy now fully addresses the socio- environmental issues and regulations required to meet the challenge of the sustainable transition and to achieve its stated objective of making European Flax-Linen and Hemp the preferred sustainable fibres worldwide.

1.) Flax-Linen certifications: a new identity, revised and reinforced standards and specific deployments over the course of the year.

Masters of LINENTM: since 1993, the Alliance's historic certification, which spearheads an exceptional European value chain; spinners weavers and knitters. The Masters of LINENTM certification will not be changing name, but its logo, baseline and promise will be changing. Its standards will focus on both the company and the product. It will be open source and audited by independent third party certification bodies. Applications over the last five years are +36%.

European FlaxTM becomes Masters of FLAX FIBRETM: driven by growth of 755% over the last five years, the European Flax fibre certification is changing its name, with a new logo, a new baseline and a new promise. This evolution translates the requirements of the revised agricultural standard.

2.) New digital tracking tool for certified Flax-Linen Flax-Linen Traceability Platform

European Certified Fibres to Retail by TextileGenesis - Lectra

In 2020, within the framework of the roadmap established by the Strategic Committee for the Luxury Fashion sector, the Flax-Linen industry led a Europe-wide Flax-Linen pilot project to test digital traceability. After three years of co-construction with all the stakeholders involved, the Alliance, supported by the Masters of LINENTM and Masters of FLAX FIBRETM certifications, has developed a digital traceability tool: Flax-Linen Traceability Platform in partnership with TextileGenesis - Lectra which capitalises on a range of certified fibres.

This innovative platform, based on a tokenised system (FibercoinsTM) and blockchain, validates the authenticity of certified materials throughout the value chain. It enables users to map every stage and location of production, guaranteeing total transparency.

In May 2025, the platform will be available to retail brands, which will be able to record their orders for certified European Flax-Linen. A gradual rollout that starts with the first links in the chain: French, Belgian and Dutch scutchers representing 3?4 of the world's Flax fibre production.

3.) Environmental Footprint of European Flax-Linen: publication of datasets and development of a specific tool for calculating impact

The impact data sets published for the Masters of FLAX FIBRETM (ex-European FlaxTM) certification are now available in reference databases such as the Higg Index, the European PEF database (EF 3.1) and ecoinvent. Datasets for Flax transformation the processes (from fibre to yarn) are being created and will be published in the European PEF format this year.

With pilot companies and its partner Glimpact, the Alliance is developing a dedicated tool which enables the industry to:

• Calculate the footprint of their products using the harmonised European PEF methodology

• Provide key data to their downstream customers

• Identify areas for improvement and measure their progress with a view to continuous improvement These initiatives aim to strengthen transparency and sustainability throughout the whole value chain.

4.) Scientific validation of the Flax-Linen functional properties

Led by the Alliance, a committee of international experts is continuing the scientific validation of the functional and environmental properties of Masters of FLAX FIBRETM certified Flax fibre.

The results of the study about biodegradability of certified European Flax fibres in the marine environment, conducted by the HYDRA Marine Sciences laboratory, will be published in the first quarter of 2025. The study will clarify various positive or negative claims that are made and provide input for international research into the impact of microfibres and microplastics in the marine environment.

5.) Linen & Hemp Dream lab: the new sourcing platform for innovative materials and textile & technical solutions made from European Flax-Linen and Hemp:

The "Linen & Hemp Dream Lab" will be reopening its digital doors on the 3rd February. Discover all the European Flax-Linen and Hemp based innovative materials, and textile or technical solutions created by its members available to designers, creative teams, stylists, manufacturers and buyers from all over the world, whether for the Fashion or Home markets or for the Technical and Composite textile sector.

The European Flax-Linen sector will therefore become a valuable partner for retail brands, helping them meet the regulatory requirements of CSRD reporting, which will apply progressively from 2024, and the Digital Product Passport, which will apply progressively from 2027.

While being essential for socially and environmentally engaged brands, digital traceability will act as an accelerator to transform the entire sector, giving new meaning to design, production, distribution and consumption, and contributing to the future of the fashion industry.