How to Comply With EU Textile Laws: Tags, Codes and More
Until green claims get approved by regulators in the European Union, retailers, brands, suppliers and customers are in a bit of a limbo. So, how do they prepare for compliance with tags, labels and the like?
It’s a question that’s been repeatedly pondered. On Wednesday, the European Commission will reveal its proposed regulation for the Circular Economy Action Plan, as noted in its agenda online. Though textile laws are slated for adoption over the next few years, the directive has seen months of delay due to attempts for ultimate clarity and accuracy.
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In brief, the Circular Economy Action Plan ensures clothing sold in the EU is designed for longevity. Under the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Initiative, by 2030 textiles sold in the EU market should be “long-lived and recyclable,” “free of hazardous substances,” and produced in “respect of social rights and the environment.”
Where Green Claims Stand
The details around green claims or the Substantiating Green Claims initiative, the Right to Repair and so on, are still being determined.
Fashion is holding its breath. “The one that we’re really waiting for is Substantiating Green Claims,” Andrew Martin, executive vice president of the Sustainable Apparel Coalition, said in an interview with WWD. He added that the green claims topic is something the regulators have gone “around in circles on.”
In its aim to appropriately address greenwashing, the commission has come across something the industry knows all too well: there are many stakeholders in the game, and thus myriad ways to communicate sustainability. The commission currently reports 230 voluntary eco-labels, 901 labeling schemes in the food area and 100 private green energy labels. Only 35 percent of sustainability labels require specific data to prove compliance with the labeling requirements. By another commission assessment in 2020, 53 percent of green claims parsed across 150 products were found to be “vague” or “misleading” or “unfounded.”
The need for regulation is clear. A leaked draft from January on substantiating green claims showcased what is to be anticipated, with the EU potentially leaning toward a “directive” approach toward reporting environmental impacts across 16 categories, including air and climate change.
“The key issues are potentially they’re going to allow for different methodologies from different countries for implementing the substantiation of green claims,” summarized Martin. He added, “If we don’t have clarity, any opportunity for confusion or different approaches can create so many problems. It makes it hard for consumers to know what they’re comparing because people are interpreting things differently. I think it makes it hard for brands and retailers because how are they going to adjust their approaches? What are they going to communicate?”
What Companies Say
It’s science that guides climate action, and data that dictates sustainable fashion policy-making.
The Product Environmental Footprint, or PEF, is a methodology the SAC facilitated that came out of 10 years of joint development alongside the commission’s appointed textile technical secretariat with companies and organizations H&M; Gore-Tex; Decathlon; The European Confederation for Flax and Hemp; the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode; Lacoste, VF Corp.; C&A; Inditex; Nike; International Wool Textile Organization; Refashion; Cotton Inc.; the France Agency for Ecological Transition Agency, and Sympatex as voting members. The European Commission, as with the European Environmental Bureau, organized the group.
“The PEF was always set up to be the standardized approach for the industry and for the EU,” said SAC’s Martin.
He underscored, “It’s not perfect. Nothing is. We just need to have a good basis that’s scientifically developed.” He added that the next phase of the PEF will look at end-of-life and durability aspects. The SAC is currently undergoing routine review of the Higg Index, as well as its consumer-facing labeling program.
Brands and retailers are prepping in the meantime, working toward the goal to halve emissions by 2030.
At a Fast Retailing event held Tuesday at Uniqlo’s global flagship on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, the company’s senior executives briefed media on their latest sustainability progress, including the store’s recent opening of its repair shop, Re.Uniqlo Studio.
Kazumi Yanai, senior executive officer at Fast Retailing, spoke about the roadmap for conveying information to customers amid pending regulations. He said the first step is “disclosure at the point of sale,” including disclosing every product’s country of origin (both online and in store), as well as “the country where the material was produced,” which Uniqlo will potentially roll out later this year.
“We intend to work with specialists in each field to steadily build and verify mechanisms that help ensure compliance with laws and regulations, avoid customer misunderstandings, and ensure correct disclosure,” detailed an accompanying visual slide.
Going Digital?
In lieu of clear guidance, perhaps the best a company can do right now is pledge to comply — and brush up on its digital savviness.
“[Green info] will probably go on one QR code or digital passport once we decide how to measure it and what to include,” said Dalena White, a spokesperson for the wool-backed “Make the Label Count” coalition and the secretary general of the International Wool Textile Organization (IWTO). (Make the Label Count supports the PEF despite offering critiques in vying for microplastic policy).
Given the legislation will cover all garments sold in the EU, the outcome of Substantiating Green Claims is vital.
White said that bifurcating product development — separating EU products from the global mix — to appease regulation “sounds like a logistical nightmare to me, but it’s up to the brands as to how they want to substantiate green claims.”
And as for repair, White brought up an interesting point. “We were a little concerned about the hype for the right to repair. The long and short of it is, most garments are made [in countries] with low labor rates. Once you bring the garment into the EU, and you have a broken zip you need repaired at the EU labor rate, it will cost you as much or more as the skirt you need repaired…
“The garment has to have a high quality to start with,” said White. “Right to repair is important but the garment must start with a proper foundation.”
With the commission also looking to amend the Consumer Rights Directive, manufacturers will have to offer the right to repair — including warranties and info on “reparability scores.”
Pointing it back to fast fashion’s rise, White said the industry is now dealing with the repercussions of its growth and its sustainability impact. “It’s just been this downward spiral of chasing price. That’s why we must get back to a system where we get back to a system of measuring the quality of the yarn, the makeup. Yes, of course, it will be more expensive.”
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