EC recognises the formal link between fossil fuels and fast fashion
The EU imposes greater scrutiny into materials and product waste through the introduction of ‘extended product responsibility’ in its newly launched sustainable textiles strategy.
“Fast fashion is poison for our planet,” European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said in a speech last year. Following the publication of its new sustainable textiles strategy, the EU has now become the first world region to formally recognise the link between fast fashion and fossil fuels.
A number of reports have been highlighting the dominance of fossil fuel-based materials in textile manufacturing, with over 60 per cent of garments now being made from polyester, a quantity that has doubled since the year 2000, according to textile industry insiders.
Responsibility for waste
But with the European Commission’s Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles adopted at the end of March, there will be greater scrutiny into materials as well as waste through the introduction of the extended product responsibility (EPR) principle.
Companies will be subject to tighter controls on greenwashing, and be accountable for what happens to the clothes that don’t sell or are no longer wanted by consumers. Fast fashion retailers, such as Boohoo, Zara and H&M, face having to pay a waste fee for every item they sell, says Adalbert Jahnz, European Commission spokesperson.
The urgency for tighter controls expressed in the textiles strategy follows the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report that the total net anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions have continued to temperature rises, and that the use of plastics is increasing in most regions. So how and when will the commission’s proposals for the textiles industry come into effect?
Jahnz says: “The transition pathway will be a long-term plan for the textile industry to achieve the green and digital transitions. The idea is for it to detail targets and commitments agreed with the industry and authorities, and key actions to be taken by different groups. We’re aiming to finish this work together with the whole industry by the end of the year.”
The EPR principle included in the EU strategy is a growing challenge, and a topic that is gaining traction across ESG investment, impacting not only fashion and textiles but also the wider global manufacturing landscape. As part of its Sustainable Textiles Strategy, the commission will propose common EU extended producer responsibility rules for textiles, with ‘eco-modulation’ of fees, in 2023.
“We aim to create a whole economy around the circular textiles, so looking at collection, sorting, reuse, and even preparation for reuse and recycling. We will also have incentives for producers and brands to design their products in a sustainable way, to enable reuse of materials,” Jahnz says.
How digital will help
The Sustainable Textiles Strategy also proposes new rules such as mandatory minimums for recycled content and digital product passports detailing an item’s sustainability credentials and traceability through the supply chain. The European Commission’s recommendation for further investments into digital fashion technology is echoed in the most recent IPCC report, which said: “Digital technologies contribute to the mitigation of climate change and the achievement of several SDGs [the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals].”
“Digital product passports or digital IDs are one of the most critical leverage points to a sustainable fashion industry,” says Natalie Massenet, founder of fashion retail platform Net-a-Porter, and co-founder of Imaginary. A $1bn venture capital fund launched in 2018, Imaginary invests in fashion and retail.
“Digital ID is a foundational step to scaling resale, recycling and circular business models,” she adds. “It’s a gateway to an open fashion ecosystem in which product information can be accessed and exchanged instantly. Through Imaginary’s investment in EON, we are advancing the role that digital ID will play in the next era of commerce, and preparing brands for upcoming legislation.”
In 2017, tech firm EON led the development of a standardised language for digital product passports: the circular product data protocol. The protocol, which was made free and publicly available to the industry in 2021, was the result of research and collaboration across leading brands, retailers and circular economy partners.
Room for improvement
Others think that greater ambition is needed. “The EU Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles is a step in the right direction. But this step does not go far enough to bring the radical rethink that the sector needs at the time of climate emergency,” says Mila Burcikova, research fellow at the Centre for Sustainable Fashion at UAL’s London College of Fashion.
“It is encouraging that the proposed regulations address longstanding issues such as longevity, global textile waste management or greenwashing. But the strategy does not tackle the industry’s over-reliance on fossil fuel-based synthetic fibres. Critically, it does not challenge the speed and the constantly increasing volumes of production, which outpace any potential improvements in the sector.”
Activist group Fashion Revolution also voiced concerns over the strategy’s “missed opportunity” to address the global textiles manufacturing industry’s poor performance when it comes to ESG values around women’s rights and working conditions. After construction, the fashion industry is the second biggest driver of modern slavery, with women representing over 75 per cent of people involved in abuses, according to the Global Slavery Index.
With its ongoing support for the European Citizens’ Initiative “Good Clothes, Fair Pay” petition – which aims for a million signatures from within the EU – Fashion Revolution hopes to bring the petition to the European Commission. Stronger regulation may follow, aimed at tackling not just environmental but also social concerns in the fashion and textiles industry.