Make the Label Count brings together an international coalition of organisations who want to ensure textiles sustainability claims in the EU are credible.
COALITION MEMBERSSustainability claims must be transparent, accurate and complete, allowing producers and consumers to make informed choices about the clothing they make and buy.
The EU is shifting to a climate-neutral and circular economy, which means products need to be more energy efficient, durable, reusable, repairable, and recyclable. Because the fashion and textile industry has such a big environmental footprint, the European Commission is reviewing sustainability claims on apparel and footwear, as well as ecodesign requirements. The Commission is exploring using the Product Environmental Footprint methodology to substantiate green claims and to inform ecodesign requirements.
This short animation explores what this could mean and why PEF should not be used in its current form:
Having a standard methodology to measure sustainability can help make fashion and textiles greener. The EU is likely to set a global standard and could deliver positive outcomes, but only if the proposed methodology behind it is amended. We must act now and get it right to ensure that textiles sustainability is measured with credibility to provide a sound basis for fully transparent consumer information and to help the industry make the green transition the EU wants to see.
Following thorough research from independent LCA experts, we’re recommending the European Commission adopt three easily implementable improvements to the PEF methodology:
Include an indicator for microplastic emissions. This will make the PEF consistent with the EU’s other policies and follow the precautionary principle. Failing to include an indicator for microplastics effectively assigns zero impacts to this emission in the PEF system. This risks unintentionally encouraging more production and consumption of plastic products and fibres, further increasing microplastic pollution. Microplastics can be added as an inventory level indicator, ahead of complete integration into the PEF system.
Include an indicator for plastic waste. The EU is focused on reducing plastic waste, however the PEF currently does not share this priority. There is a need to reduce the demand for this material, and/or divert plastic products away from landfill to be recycled instead. At present, the recycling of synthetic fibres is negligible. Plastic clothing is also incinerated at the end of life, and while energy can be recovered from this process, the incineration of plastic waste also releases fossil CO2, contributing to global warming. Including a plastic waste indicator will enable the PEF to reflect the EU’s environmental priorities.
Include an indicator for circularity. Despite the EU’s progressive Circular Economy Action Plan (CEAP), the PEF currently places little emphasis on circularity. Fossil materials are not renewable or circular, and currently none of the 16 PEF indicators directly measure circularity. Including circularity as a stand-alone indicator in PEF is the best means of assessing the sustainability of raw materials originating from renewable and non-renewable sources.
The PEF system is designed to facilitate like-with-like comparisons, but assessments of textiles made from natural and synthetic fibres are not yet comparable. Current PEF limitations present a significant challenge to the delivery of both EU strategy and the PEF goal of providing fair comparisons of products based on their environmental credentials. This white paper addresses the concerns with the current PEF methodology, identifies the main challenges posed and provides recommendations to not only offer more meaningful guidance to the EU consumer but also assist in delivering the EU’s environmental policy and sustainability objectives.
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MEP Carlo Calenda and 29 colleagues delivered a letter to the EU executive, asking them to carefully consider the upcoming textile legislation. The letter draws their attention to the PEF process, which could result in supporting a greenwashing scenario in the fashion and textile sector. If the PEF methodology is not adjusted to include renewability, biodegradability and microplastic pollution, the 30 signatories believe it would “fundamentally undermine the credibility of any EU action and the ability of consumers to act responsibly”.
Read the full letter.
A series of white papers, published by Veronica Bates-Kassatly and Dorothee Baumann-Pauly with the Geneva Center for Business and Human Rights (GCBHR), attempts to expose fast fashion’s false sustainability promises. The first highlights a flawed definition of sustainability in fashion and how unscientific methods and selective implementation hinder meaningful change. The second white paper demonstrates that even the environmental impact of fashion is not being correctly assessed, neither broadly, nor narrowly.
Read Part 1 here and Part 2 here.
Watch the recording of the Make the Label Count launch event with EU policymakers, academics and industry representatives.
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Delivering EU environmental policy through fair comparisons of natural and synthetic fibre textiles in PEF – Executive Summary (ENG)
PDF 0.3MBDelivering EU environmental policy through fair comparisons of natural and synthetic fibre textiles in PEF - White Paper (ENG)
PDF 0.9MBMake the Label Count - Briefing Document (ENG)
PDF 1.8MBMake the Label Count - Briefing Dokument (DE)
PDF 1.8MBMake the Label Count - Document d’information (FR)
PDF 1.8MBMake the Label Count - Documento informativo (IT)
PDF 1.8MBMake the Label Count - Documento Informativo (ES)
PDF 1.8MBMake the Label Count - Documento Informativo (PT)
PDF 1.8MBJoin us in advocating for improvements to PEF for substantiating textiles sustainability claims and inform ecodesign requirements in the EU. Together we can make the label count!
Have a question or want to be a part of the Make the Label Count? Contact us here.
