Natural Fibre Industries Unite for Fair Textile Legislation in Europe
The Make the Label Count (MTLC) campaign continues to drive meaningful change in European textile legislation for natural fibres. Since its launch in 2021, the campaign has grown to encompass more than 70 members representing all natural fibres globally, spanning the entire value chain, and including NGOs. The initiative aims to address textile pollution in the EU market through evidence-based policy development, supporting policymakers as they navigate the world of textiles.
The campaign’s impact has been substantial, with members engaging in more than 100 conversations with regulators and organizing various events to demonstrate the positive environmental impacts of natural fibres.
These include renewability, biodiversity support, recyclability, and biodegradability – qualities that position natural fibres as ideal solutions for the circular economy demands facing today’s retail sector.
This also entails addressing footprinting methodologies: the process by which environmental impacts are measured. Current footprinting methodologies rely on Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs) that fail to account for the positive environmental impacts of natural fibres.
“While clothing and textile production doubled during the first 15 years of this century, with more than 60% of fibres now fossil fuel-based, natural fibre production involves capturing carbon from the atmosphere through photosynthesis – a critical environmental function that current methodologies fail to recognize,” explains Dalena White, IWTO Secretary General, co-spokesperson for Make the Label Count.
The limitations in current LCA-based footprinting methodologies inadvertently steer retail buying managers away from natural fibres toward fossil fuel-based alternatives, even as leading research recognises limitations in LCA-based methods.
Addressing Methodological Shortcomings
MTLC calls for impact techniques to move beyond LCA and into circularity, to include positives like biodiversity and carbon sequestration, as well as microplastic pollution indicators.
The campaign advocates for consequential LCAs that better reflect supply chain improvements and agricultural advances, rather than the current attributional approach that provides only a snapshot in time.
Recognizing the need for improvement, the European Commission has prohibited the creation of single scores based on the Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) methodology, as well as business-to-consumer (B2C) communications.
The Commission is also initiating a review of its PEF rules later this year. MTLC remains committed to ensuring a level playing field for natural fibres in Europe.
Industry Collaboration
MTLC acknowledges the generous support of all natural fibre industry members who contribute their time and resources to the Campaign. This industry-wide collaboration is an invaluable part of the Campaign’s continued momentum.
About Make the Label Count Make the Label Count is a coalition of more than 70 organizations representing natural fibre industries globally, working to ensure fair and science-based textile legislation that recognizes the environmental benefits of natural fibres in the circular economy.
For more information: Website: https://www.makethelabelcount.org/
Source: IWTO