The European Commission’s proposal to amend the Waste Framework Directive marked a key change, aimed specifically at the textile industry. This amendment aims to harmonize the various Extended Producer Responsibilities (EPRs) used in the different EU member states. The new waste shipment regulation is designed to promote the sustainable management of textile waste in the EU. It encourages producers to minimize waste and extend product longevity by making them responsible for the costs of managing textile waste. These costs will depend on ecomodulation, determined by factors such as material choice, product circularity, supply chain diligence and the accuracy of consumer information, Copenhagen Fashion Week said in its newsletter. policies.
Copenhagen Fashion Week highlighted important European Union (EU) legislative changes affecting the fashion industry, including new directives for sustainable waste management and product transparency. These changes emphasize stricter environmental responsibility and improved sustainability practices in textile production and labeling.
The Waste Framework Directive on Waste Shipments, adopted in 2021, was established to foster a circular economy within the EU and prevent the export of textile waste to the Global South. This directive introduces the concept of EPR, which places responsibility for the entire life cycle of textile products on producers, including design, waste and recycling. By January 1, 2025, EU member states must establish systems for the separate collection of textile waste. Under this directive, each country will implement its own EPR system, and fashion brands will be required to participate in these systems in each country in which they operate. This means that fashion brands must create a closed-loop supply chain to ensure the collection and recycling of their products.
Another significant development is the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR), which moves from covering only energy-related products to including textiles. This regulation is intended to revolutionize product design, emphasizing durability, recyclability, and the inclusion of recycled materials. The regulation will also introduce the Digital Product Passport, which will facilitate the repair, recycling and tracking of substances used in the supply chain.
The Digital Product Passport will have a significant impact on the textile and fashion industry in the European market. It is a digital tool that provides detailed information on the environmental impact of a product throughout its life cycle. Each product will need to include a machine-readable passport, such as a QR code, linked to a unique ID. This passport will detail various aspects of the product, including its durability, reusability, reparability, percentage of recycled content, carbon footprint, and circularity performance. These elements will evaluate the product’s recyclability and overall environmental sustainability. More details on the Digital Product Passport are expected in 2024, although the implementation date remains uncertain.
The Ecological Rights Directive will also bring significant changes. Addresses the confusion caused by the large number of environmental labels and often misleading or unsubstantiated green claims on the market. A significant number of these claims have been found to be vague, misleading or unsubstantiated. Under this directive, any environmental claims, such as carbon footprint reduction, must be independently verified and scientifically supported.
The directive will also regulate the clarity of these claims and may restrict the aggregate scoring of a product’s overall environmental impact. Its goal is to improve the accuracy and reliability of information on product labels, especially as it relates to durability and repairability. All sustainability claims must be supported by third-party reviewed data, using a standardized life cycle assessment methodology. Furthermore, the new labeling systems will be subject to EU approval, ensuring that they provide clear added value.
The European Commission plans to review the current Textile Labeling Regulation by the end of 2023 to address its limitations and the confusion caused by the various labeling systems across the EU. Existing regulation, focused mainly on fibers, has not kept pace with new technological advances in fabrics and recycling. The review will introduce standards for the physical and digital labeling of textiles, requiring brands to adopt more comprehensive and standardized labeling practices. This will ensure that consumers have accurate information about the composition and origin of textile products, leading to fairer competition and greater consumer confidence in their purchases.
The European Union is developing the Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) Method for the clothing and footwear sector, which will include various environmental indicators such as carbon emissions, water use and energy consumption. This method will become increasingly crucial for fashion and textile brands once the Green Claims Directive is implemented. The directive, proposed by the commission in March 2023 and yet to be enacted, will likely require brands to integrate a carbon management tool into their operations. The consulting firm Deloitte anticipates that these requirements will come into force from 2026.
The Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), which is part of the Sustainable Finance Initiative but not the European Green Deal, requires companies to submit enhanced sustainability reports. This directive requires detailed disclosures on environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues, such as greenhouse gas emissions, supply chain transparency, labor practices and diversity initiatives.
Initially aimed at large companies already under the NFRD, including those with more than 500 employees, the CSRD will be expanded to cover all large companies and eventually, on a voluntary basis, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The goal is to avoid overwhelming smaller companies with rigorous reporting requirements. Reporting under the CSRD will begin gradually from 2024, with reports published in 2025, and the EU is developing the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS) as a framework for ESG disclosure.
The Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) will affect companies in high-impact sectors such as fashion and textiles that have more than 250 employees and a net turnover of more than €40 million worldwide. This directive requires these companies to assess and mitigate the environmental and social impacts of their operations and supply chains, promoting responsible business practices, transparency, ethical sourcing and sustainability.
The focus is on companies that make significant efforts to improve their environmental and social impacts, without necessarily achieving specific results. For fashion brands, this means ensuring visibility and traceability across their value chains, developing due diligence policies, identifying and addressing human and environmental impacts, and publicly communicating these efforts. Once adopted by the EU (expected no earlier than 2024), member states will have two years to implement the CSDDD into national legislation, with the possibility of setting more stringent requirements.
Fiber2Fashion News Desk (DP)
