Yesterday the European Commission presented new European Green Pact proposals to make sustainable products the norm in the EU, promote circular business models, and empower consumers for the green transition. Some of the key proposals include:
Make textiles more durable, repairable, reusable and recyclable. Stimulate the internal market for construction products. Empower consumers in the ecological transition. Make products more durable, reliable, reusable, upgradeable, repairable, easier to maintain, refurbish and recycle. Make products more energy and resource-efficient
As announced in the Circular Economy Action Plan, the Commission is proposing new rules to make almost all physical goods placed on the EU market more environmentally friendly, circular economy friendly, and energy-efficient throughout their life cycle, from the design phase to everyday use, conversion and disposal. The plan builds on the already existing Ecodesign Directive. The Commission is also presenting today a new strategy to make textiles more durable, repairable, reusable, and recyclable to combat fast fashion, textile waste, and the destruction of unsold textile products, and to ensure that their production is carried out in full respect of labor rights. A third proposal aims to stimulate the internal market for construction products and to ensure that existing regulation contributes to the built environment meeting our sustainability and climate objectives. Finally, the package includes a proposal for new rules to empower consumers with clearer labelling, so that they are better informed about the environmental sustainability of products and better protected against greenwashing. Making Sustainable Products the Norm The proposal for a Regulation on the eco-design of sustainable products addresses product design, which determines up to 80% of the environmental impact of a product's life cycle. It sets new requirements to make products more durable, reliable, reusable, upgradeable, repairable, easier to maintain, refurbish and recycle, and energy and resource-efficient. In addition, specific product information requirements will ensure that consumers are aware of the environmental impact of their purchases. All regulated products will have digital product passports, making it easier to repair or recycle them and to trace substances of concern throughout the supply chain. Relevant labeling will also be able to be introduced.
Sustainable and Circular Textiles European textile consumption has the fourth-highest impact on the environment and climate change, after food, housing, and transport. It’s also the third-largest sector in terms of water consumption and land use, and the fifth largest in terms of primary raw materials. The EU Strategy on Sustainable and Circular Textile Products sets targets and concrete measures to ensure that by 2030 textile products placed on the EU market are long-lasting and recyclable, made as far as possible from recycled fibers, free of hazardous substances, and produced with respect for social rights and the environment. Consumers will enjoy high-quality textile products for longer, fast fashion should be outdated and cost-effective reuse and repair services should be widely available. In a competitive, resilient, and innovative textile sector, manufacturers must take responsibility for their products throughout the value chain, even after they become waste. In this way, the circular textile ecosystem will thrive and be stimulated by sufficient innovative fiber-to-fiber recycling capacities, while minimizing incineration and disposal of textile products. Concrete measures include eco-design requirements for textile products, clearer labels, a digital product passport, and a mandatory extended EU producer responsibility scheme. Certifications that advocate for circularity in fashion are:
Cradle to Cradle Global Recycle Standard Ecocert Global Organic Textile Standard Fairtrade Cotton Responsible Wool Standard Forest Stewardship Council