With environmental concerns increasing and consumer expectations changing, regulator worldwide are taking action to apply sustainability across supply chain. As we get deeper into the regulatory changes being applied in fashion, let;s explore each step being taken to make production and consumption responsible.
1. Product Design Standards: Design phase accounts for upto 80% of the product environmental impact. Acknowledging this EU's Ecodesign for Sustainable products Regulation has set minimum standards for product design. These standarsd include recyclability, durability, reusability, repairability and the use of hazardous susbstances.
Additionally, digital product passports are expected to become mandatory, providing consumers with transparent information about the environmental footprint of each garment.
2. Marketing Transparency: Greenwashing, is one of the common practice in the industry. To fight this, the EU Green Claims Directive requires companies to provide specific evidences that can claim sustainability claims. France has already implemented carbon labeling requirements for clothing, making the way for greater transparency in marketing practices.
3. Waste Management and Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR): With increase of textile waste in landfills, regulators are pushing for extended producer responsibility. This means that fashion brands will be required to finance the collection, sorting, and recycling of textile waste. Fees for EPR programs will vary based on production output and pollution levels, incentivizing brands to minimize waste generation. Moreover, the destruction of unsold goods is expected to be banned, encouraging brands to adopt more sustainable inventory management practices.
4. Reporting and Transparency: The Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) aims to standardize ESG disclosures, providing investors and consumers with reliable information about a company's environmental and social performance.
5. Global Impact and Supply Chain Traceability: Regulators in Asia are also progressing their own initiatives as 70% of the EU's textiles manufactured in Asia. Achieving full supply chain traceability is essential for regulatory compliance
6. Sourcing and Production Decarbonization: To address carbon emissions in the industry, brands are focusing on decarbonizing production processes through energy efficiency initiatives and shifting to renewable energy sources.
7. Design for Circularity: Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation, is at the forefront of the EU's efforts to promote sustainability This legislation applies minimum design standards for all individual products sold within the EU, with a particular focus on recyclability, durability, reusability, repairability, and the use of hazardous substances.
Is Europe's Fashion council happy with this?
While The European Fashion Alliance realises the importance of the rules applied but they have few concerns about proposed measures.
1-EFA considers disclosure of unsold inventory volumes is highly sensitive data and they advocate to share this data with officials rather than the public.
2-Luxury labels have concern regarding the durability requirement, as their garments may not withstand wash test. EFA request for new standards that consider consumer care, quality, reusability and repairability to measure durability .
3-One of the concern of TFA is mandatory minimum for recycled content, which EFA fears could restrict creative freedom and lead to lower- quality products.
4- TFA requests policymakers to understand the limitation of technology and data gathering capabilities when introducing measures like increased recycling requirements and digital product passports.
5-Ban on destroying products is another point of concern, particularly for high- end brands to maintain their exclusive image.
Though European legislators strongly support stricter regulation of the fashion industry but specific details of these regulations are still being discussed.
References
Explainer: Why New Sustainability Rules Are Worrying the Fashion Industry | BoF (businessoffashion.com)
Comments