#Sustainability

2021-10-07

Sustainability labels must be accurate and complete if they are to drive green goals

Mandatory sustainability labelling for clothing and footwear is on the table as part of the European Union’s shift to a climate neutral and circular economy. But problems with how sustainability is measured risk a loss of credibility with consumers.

Inspired by successful examples in other sectors, the EU’s intent is to offer consumers information about the green credentials of clothes and shoes at point of purchase. This would in turn encourage brands and retailers to offer products that are designed to be more energy-efficient, durable, reusable, repairable and recyclable.

Currently, however, the way sustainability is counted makes it impossible for natural fibres to receive a positive score.

Make the Label Count

“A credible sustainability label has the potential to make the industry greener and empower EU consumers to make informed choices,” says Dalena White, Secretary General of the International Wool Textile Organisation (IWTO) and Co-Spokesperson for Make the Label Count campaign, along with Livia Firth of Eco-Age.

“We are very excited that the textile industry will be regulated in the near future and that proposed legislation will assist concerned consumers to make responsible decisions.

“EU policy makers have a crucial role to play in ensuring that labelling is supported by a system that presents a level playing field for all fibres by considering the full impacts of each garment’s life cycle.”

Where We Need to Measure Up

As it stands today, sustainability labelling does not account for crucial environmental impacts that sit at the forefront of EU policy:

The adverse effects of microplastic pollution, a known side effect of wearing and washing synthetic clothing, is absent from the scoring.

While all garments shed microfibres through laundering and daily wear, only synthetic garments made from fossil fuels discharge microplastic fibres. Microplastic pollution contaminates both terrestrial and marine environments and has entered the food chain. Scientific studies have shown that one typical 5-kilogram wash of fossil fuel-based garments can release as many as 6 million microplastic fibres.

The full environmental cost of fossil fuels is omitted from the scoring.

Accounting for synthetic fibres commences at extraction at the well-head, rather than the raw material formation. This leaves out all the impacts from the formation of the base material of synthetic fibres, crude oil. These impacts include greenhouse gas emissions, land use and water use.

Conversely, accounting for natural fibres begins with their formation on the farm, and all of those impacts are included in the scoring.

At a time when many industries are recognizing the impacts of and moving away from fossil fuels, the full environmental impacts of the formation of crude oil must be accounted for in this context.

Read more on POLITICO Europe: A question of credibility — the EU’s green transition for textiles

https://www.politico.eu/sponsored-content/a-question-of-credibility-the-eu-green-transition-for-textiles/

Circular and Social

True sustainability means products are made from renewable raw materials.

The circular attributes of natural fibres, such as renewability at the start-of-life, high levels of reuse and recycling during life, and biodegradability at end-of-life are not counted or only minimally counted in the current system of scoring.

Another obvious omission is the consideration of social impacts throughout the supply chain.

Make the Label Count – Campaign Launch

The Make the Label Count Campaign brings together an international coalition of organisations in an appeal for credibility in sustainability labelling for clothing. Learn more at http://www.makethelabelcount.org

https://eu-ems.com/register.asp?event_id=4638

VAUDE eliminates PFAS from all products

PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are now detectable worldwide – in drinking water, soil and the human body. These so-called “forever chemicals” are considered hazardous to health and potentially carcinogenic, as they do not break down and remain in the environment permanently. Despite these risks, PFAS are still used in a wide range of products. More than 15 years ago, VAUDE made a strategic decision to gradually eliminate PFAS from all product categories.

OEKO-TEX® chooses TextileGenesis to advance digital traceability for organic cotton

OEKO-TEX® today announced a full collaboration with TextileGenesis, a Lectra company, to digitally trace and authenticate organic cotton, strengthening fraud prevention across the supply chain. This announcement follows a successful pilot and brings together OEKO-TEX®’s certification expertise and closed testing system with TextileGenesis’ digital traceability platform to deliver a secure, end-to-end solution for managing certified organic cotton flows.

ICAC to support European Commission on pending PEF legislation

The International Cotton Advisory Committee (ICAC) is proud to announce that it has been included as a member of the European Commission’s Technical Advisory Board (TAB) on the Product Environmental Footprint methodology. The Commission developed the Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) to assess and communicate the life cycle environmental performance of products and organizations.

ENDURANCE Program: Driving operational sustainability at Magnera

As Magnera enters a new year, the company is reflecting on a key sustainability milestone from 2025: the launch of ENDURANCE, its global, employee-led initiative focused on waste reduction and sustainable innovation. Launched on Earth Day 2025, this initiative has generated more than 250 improvement submissions from team members across Magnera’s global operations, demonstrating strong engagement and shared accountability for sustainability across the organization.

Testing and research laboratory ensures safe and more sustainable products worldwide

For 80 years, Hohenstein has stood for independent testing, scientific expertise and practical solutions. Today, the testing and research service provider supports manufacturers and brands worldwide in making textiles, hardlines and medical devices safe, more sustainable and market-ready – thereby building trust among consumers. With an international presence and interdisciplinary expertise, Hohenstein supports its customers from production through to market launch, helping them navigate an environment of growing regulatory and societal demands.

Perfect quality through collaboration: Machinery from Trützschler, Toyota and Murata at Zirve Tekstil

In today’s textile industry, excellence is not achieved by chance – it’s the result of deliberate decisions, technical expertise, and the courage to go beyond conventional paths. The Turkish company Zirve Tekstil has done just that: by combining the best technologies from Trützschler, Toyota and Murata, they’ve created a production setup that delivers outstanding yarn quality – recognized worldwide.

Engineering depth and diversity for composites

Airbond is the latest member of the British Textile Machinery Association (BTMA) to receive recognition for contributions to the composites industry. The engineering firm based in Pontypool, South Wales, has just received the Make UK Energy and Sustainability Award for its Lattice 3D Printing project.