What would you do if you had the opportunity to prevent oil-based materials such as polyester, which produce mountains of plastic waste and disperse tiny microplastic particles in our waters and soils, from being favoured over natural materials?
The Aid by Trade Foundation (AbTF) has joined the Make the Label Count initiative which was created in response to the development of new EU regulations for product statements on sustainability.
Why? The EU’s current Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) is misleading consumers as it favours textile fibres made from fossil fuels such as oil while placing natural fibres at a disadvantage.
We had the chance to speak to Dalena White, spokeswomen of Make the Label Count, Eric Trachtenberg, Executive Director of the International Cotton Advisory Committee (ICAC) and Tina Stridde, Managing Director of the Aid by Trad Foundation, about the new initiative:
Dalena, what key messages would you like to convey to the public and political representatives across Europe with your campaign?
Overconsumption of cheap textiles will require education of consumers and brands and Make The Label Count is very supportive of the European Commission’s undertaking to ‘make fast fashion out of fashion’. The Green Claims directive strives to deal with the prolific green washing nature of the fast fashion industry and give consumers confidence in the marketing messages with advertising campaigns. Research has shown that more than 50% of current green claims are unsubstantiated, or simply false.
What do you ask the EU for?
It would be imperative to develop a science-based tool to define sustainable textiles and the current PEFCR methodology has the potential to do just that. Unfortunately, the process has been hijacked by big retail and currently marks all natural fibres as bad for the environment, while giving polyester the green light. The recently published Glimpact tool offers a clear example of what the PEFCR in action would look like in future.
We request law makers to consider the full impact of textiles, including microplastic pollution, plastic waste and circularity, and assure that all fibres have a level playing field in upcoming textile legislation. This is a global first, and we know the rest of the world is watching. It is imperative that the European Commission gets this right, first time.
And what have you achieved so far?
Our campaign messaging has been incorporated into EC published documents before and we ask that you circulate these to your local leaders, decision makers and industry partners, to ensure we support our legislators in making the best-informed decisions possible.
Tina, from your perspective at AbTF, how does Make the Label Count align with your mission to enhance the livelihoods of cotton farmers, and why is it essential for brands and consumers to be aware of this initiative?
Joining the Make the Label Count initiative is a very important step for us in aligning our mission to enhance the livelihoods of farmers and herders with the broader goal of promoting sustainable practices in the textile industry. We fully support Make the Label Count in promoting transparency and fairness in sustainability claims, and helping retailers to ensure correct claims on clothes consumers can trust on. By advocating for a standardized approach to assessing environmental impacts, we can ensure that producers receive the recognition they deserve. This is vital especially for those whose are directly impacted. The current misrepresentation of PEF can lead consumers to make uninformed choices that ultimately harm the environment and disadvantage farmers. By raising awareness together with Make the Label Count, we can help consumers make informed decision and learn about the impact of the new regulations.
As a representative of ICAC, my motivation to support the Make the Label Count (MTLC) initiative stems from our commitment to ensure that cotton has a level playing field with synthetic fibers. It’s vital to engage in MTLC to ensure cotton competes fairly with synthetic fibers, which often misrepresent their environmental impact. This is important because regulations that might enable synthetic fibers to erroneously claim superior environmental performance to cotton could undermine EU environmental goals while affecting livelihoods for millions of farmers.
The easiest way to help people understand the differences between cotton and polyester is to look at their life cycles — their origin stories, if you will. Cotton, a natural fiber, biodegrades and enriches the soil, while polyester’s production is energy-intensive and environmentally harmful. One concerning problem is the proliferation of microfibers. Studies have shown they are ubiquitous in the environment — they’ve been found at the bottom of the Arctic Ocean and at the top of the Himalayan mountains, and everywhere in between. MTLC plays a crucial role in raising awareness about microfiber pollution, ensuring that cotton and natural fibers receive the recognition they deserve in sustainable textile policies. We also believe these goals also line up with the European Union’s vision of a future where there is less waste, lower greenhouse gas emissions, and truly circular consumption. On top of that, synthetic fibers like polyester might be cheaper and easier to work with, but natural fibers offer a wealth of benefits that we don’t believe are being factored into fiber comparisons.
To support sustainability, ICAC is providing support to the EU and to MLTC to ensure that natural fibers like cotton are not disadvantaged when compared with synthetic fibers like polyester. As policymakers and others look for a better way to regulate textiles to support the environment and other worthy goals, MLTC is adding a valuable voice to the discussion.
Disclaimer: The comment represents the opinion of the writer and do not represent the positions of ICAC Member countries.