The textile industry stands out as one of the EU’s most polluting sectors, producing around 12.6 million tonnes of textile waste annually. With 270 kg of CO2 per person generated from textile production consumed in the EU in 2020 alone, this sector ranks as the fifth largest contributor to climate change in terms of household consumption
According to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, less than 1% of global textiles are recycled into new products.
The fashion industry has also been linked to prolonged cases of abuses especially in South and South East Asia. The Rana Plaza disaster of April 2013 stands as the worst example of the poor working conditions across the supply chain of textiles, leading to the death of over 1000 workers in Bangladesh.
Despite its environmental, climate and social impact, the EU actions in this space appear timid when compared with some initiatives undertaken in some Member States. In fact, last year the European Parliament expressed concern over the fact the Commission’s proposed legislation in the field of textiles was insufficient to guarantee a sustainable future for the industry. And as national legislatures adopt increasingly stringent standards, the Commission may be forced to follow suit as a way to protect the integrity of the single market to avoid disruptions in competition.
EU action bets on an incremental change
In March 2024, the European Parliament took a significant stride in combating waste by adopting its report on the Waste Framework Directive, aimed at reducing food and textile waste. However, while lauded for its efforts, criticisms arose from various NGOs, notably Zero Waste Europe, regarding the absence of specific waste prevention and management targets in the Parliament’s position.
The Waste Framework Directive is the latest example of EU climate action tackling the textiles industry. In December 2023, the co-legislators adopted the Ecodesign Regulation¹, which sets sustainability requirements also for textiles and bans the destruction of unsold clothing and footwear – which is a currently a common practice². On top of this, the Commission plans on revising the Textile Labelling Regulation by the end of the year, to introduce further rules for physical and digital labelling of textiles and to promote circularity.
The EU is also about to finalise various ambitious initiatives that, whilst not exclusively affecting the textile industry, will nonetheless impact the sector. In particular, the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive will force companies to take measures to mitigate the environmental and social risks emerging from their operations throughout their supply chain, while the Regulation prohibiting products made with forced labour promises to curb the poor working conditions in factories outside the EU.
France leads by example: Proposition de loi visant à réduire l’impact environnemental de l’industrie textile
The lack of ambitious legislation targeting the environmental and social impact of fast fashion was put to a close last March, when France’s lower house, the Assemblée Nationale, unanimously adopted a bill specifically targeting fast fashion.
The French legislation – currently awaiting approval from the Senate – introduces significant changes to fast fashion practices. Notably, it institutes financial incentives and penalties based on environmental standards for textile companies. From 2025, products with the most adverse environmental effects will face substantial penalties per item of clothing sold. Worst polluting companies will be charged up to €10 per garment, with the proceeds funding bonuses for environmentally responsible firms. Specific details about how this penalty system will be further specified by the French government at a later date.
Following the ban on advertising of fossil fuel products adopted by France in 2022, the proposed law outright bans the advertisement and promotion of fast fashion products and companies starting January 1, 2025³.
While commendable, these measures may present challenges within the EU single market. On a side, as France shares this market with 26 other Member States, enforcing penalties and marketing bans could prove complex. On the other one, it is hard to see how its higher standards will not distort competition in the single market, as economic operators will not be able to ignore the design and marketing requirements established by French law.
What about elsewhere in Europe?
Other Member States have taken a different route to tackle the environmental impacts of the textile industry. For instance, The Netherlands and Sweden have both recently established Extended Producer Responsibility systems for textiles to ensure that producers cover the costs of recycling.
These advancements at the national level happened before the presentation of the Waste Framework Directive by the European Commission, which is likely to end up requiring all Member States to establish EPR systems for textiles.
Non-governmental organisations are also making important strides to improve the sustainability of the textiles sector.
In April 2024, the Dutch environmental organisation Fair Resource Foundation launched the Collective Circular Textiles, a new organisation of textile producers focusing on sustainability, collaboration and transparency. This collective is the first producer organisation in Europe to be initiated by an environmental organisation which shows the willingness of textile producers to improve their environmental records.
The Collective Circular Textiles is presented as a unique model that does not focus solely on profitability. Whereas producer organisations focus on collecting and processing waste at the lowest possible cost – which has a considerable impact on the environment – the Collective is committed to helping the textile chain become more sustainable with a different governance structure in which producers, collectors, recyclers, municipalities, NGOs and social organisations jointly formulate strategic objectives for the collective to implement.
A fertile ground for rich debate in the next legislature?
If the French bill is adopted by the Senate, it could provide an opportune moment to leverage national developments at the EU level. Unilateral actions taken by Member States are likely to exert pressure on the European Commission, which may be obliged to act to prevent distortion of the EU Single Market or in response to increasing demands from national governments.
It would not be the first time that France has pushed for policy options at the EU level that it had already developed nationally or that are high on its national agenda. This push may also be joined by other like-minded Member States. For instance, in March, Sweden and Denmark supported France’s proposal to restrict exports of textile waste under the Basel Convention.
The EU elections and their immediate aftermath will be a critical time for interested parties to advocate for meaningful change at the EU level. Indeed, at present, there is no guarantee that the next Commission – and the next European Parliament – will follow through with previous commitments, without a strong pressure from NGOs and national governments.
¹ Textiles will be one of the priority product categories for which sustainability requirements will be set under the revamped Ecodesign Regulation
² The European Environment Agency reports that between 4-9% of textile products end up destroyed without fulfilling their intended purpose.
³ The new measure would also echo similar provisions at the EU level concerning the marketing of tobacco products, as outlined in the Tobacco Advertising Directive.
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