Reach: New entry in Annex XVII, microplastics and glitter - Corporate Responsibility Update nr. 6, 2023

Dear reader,

We have listed important legislative developments for you, click here. We will keep adding to this overview page so that you are always up to date with developments.
 

Sector
Nationaal

• This is greenwashing (and the latest state of affairs) 
• BMI for the textile and clothing industry: a new benchmark for sustainability 
• Sustainability and Innovation in the Fashion Industry 

International

• The latest on the EU’s Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation 
• Why Fashion Needs to Prioritize Sustainable Forest Sourcing 
• Xinjiang Factory’s ‘Secret’ Agreement Suggests Forced Labor Escalation 
• EU commission revolutionizes sustainable textiles 
• Better Cotton, Uzbekistan Sign Roadmap of Sustainability to Boost Best Practices 
• Fashion Industry Driving Demand for Green Shipping 
• SER joins UN Global Compact Network Netherlands
• Will the fashion sector ever work together on sustainability? 
• Euratex speaks of progress legislation, but regrets approach to the textile industry 

Companies

• Sustainability in the fashion industry: twelve efforts of June 2023
• Shein Wants to Go Green. Here’s How It Plans to Do it. 
• Primark Netherlands investigated for possible greenwashing 
• Nike under fire in Canada: research into the benefits of forced labour 
• Inditex shares sustainability goals for 2030 

Legislation/Government/Legal decision

• Reach: New entry in Annex XVII, microplastics and glitter
• Polyester Blanket Producer Faces Greenwashing Lawsuit 

Material

• WWF compares six leading cotton standards 

Sector
Nationaal
This is greenwashing (and the latest state of affairs) 
In the background piece, FashionUnited lists what greenwashing is, how often it occurs and what regulations and legislation are (in the making), writes FashionUnited. Read more (notice: article is in Dutch).

BMI for the textile and clothing industry: a new benchmark for sustainability 
The textile and clothing industry is one of the largest and most influential sectors in the world. However, it also has a significant impact on the environment and society. To reduce this impact and promote sustainable practices, a new measure has been developed: the BMI (Cladding Environmental Index), writes Petroenchem. Read more (notice: article is in Dutch).

Sustainability and Innovation in the Fashion Industry 
Sustainability is an important topic these days, especially when it comes to fashion and clothing. More and more people are looking for sustainable products that are environmentally friendly and have a positive impact on society. Girav, a Dutch brand specialized in clothing for tall men, is a company that is committed to sustainability and innovation. One of their most recent initiatives is the cultivation of naturally colored cotton, a revolutionary and environmentally friendly innovation writes Duurzaam Actueel. Read more (notice: article is in Dutch).

International
The latest on the EU’s Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation 
Highlight: Ecodesign laws are one step closer, and they are going to affect anyone who does business in the EU. On March 30, 2022, the European Commission put forward a proposal for a regulation to establish a framework for ecodesign requirements for sustainable products, the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR). In the Commission’s words, “Ecodesign” means the “integration of environmental sustainability considerations into the characteristics of a product and into processes throughout its value chain.” But what does that mean in practice, especially for businesses? And what has been the industry reaction to ESPR? We find out, writes SGI. Read more>>

Why Fashion Needs to Prioritize Sustainable Forest Sourcing 
Today, 6.4 percent of textiles are produced with wood-based feedstock, according to sustainability nonprofit Textile Exchange. With deforestation responsible for up to 10 percent of greenhouse gas emissions, pivoting to “forest-positive” sourcing for man-made cellulosic fibers (MMCF) such as viscose, lyocell, modal and acetate, has never been more critical. Deforestation isn’t just about mowing down trees, said Julia Kozlik, textile program lead at the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC), which published on Wednesday a white paper detailing the role clothing purveyors can play in preserving the well-being of forest ecosystems, reports Sourcing Journal. Read more>>

Xinjiang Factory’s ‘Secret’ Agreement Suggests Forced Labor Escalation 
Working Uyghur adults may not be the only population that Xinjiang authorities are forcing into factories as part of a broader campaign of cultural and religious persecution against China’s ethnic minorities, a new report suggests. Teenage girls could also have become targets in at least one garment facility.Some 90 Uyghur girls, aged 16 to 18, are being “locked up” at Wanhe Garment Co. in the province’s southwestern Maralbeshi county, where they’re compelled to toil 14 hours a day, seven days a week under a “secret agreement” with a local high school, Radio Free Asia reported over the weekend, citing sources, including a village chief and the factory’s security head, who spoke under the condition of anonymity to avoid reprisals, writes Sourcing Journal. Read more (notice: you may need a login to read the complete article).

EU commission revolutionizes sustainable textiles
The EU Commission introduces regulations to foster a sustainable and circular economy in the textile sector. Aligned with the EU Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles, the proposal holds producers accountable for the entire lifecycle of their products and encourages sustainable management of textile waste across the EU, writes FashionatingWorld. Read more>>

Better Cotton, Uzbekistan Sign Roadmap of Sustainability to Boost Best Practices 
Uzbekistan is the latest country to be on the receiving end of the technology and know how of Better Cotton, the world’s largest cotton sustainability initiative, which set up shop there a few months ago.  Major stakeholders in the country recently signed a Roadmap of Sustainability with Better Cotton, to drive improvements in its cotton sector such as adopting more sustainable practices that are better for the environment, communities and the economy, writes Sourcing Journal. Read more (notice: you may need a login to read the complete article).

Fashion Industry Driving Demand for Green Shipping 
Fashion brands are a key driver of demand for green shipping fuels, according to shipping group Maersk, as the sector faces pressure from consumers and regulators to reduce their climate footprint. Retailers ship huge volumes of clothes from production centres in countries such as China, Vietnam and Bangladesh to consumers around the world, causing carbon dioxide emissions. Overall, the textile industry is estimated to be responsible for between 2 percent and 8 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, according to a United Nations Environment Programme report published last month, writes Reuters. Read more>>

SER joins UN Global Compact Network Netherlands
By joining the UN Global Compact Network Netherlands, the Social and Economic Council (SER) supports the goal of this organization to promote international corporate social responsibility (IRBC) in the business community. The SER also contributes knowledge and experience in the field of IRBC and the supporters of both organisations benefit from each other's networks. Read more (notice: article is in Dutch).

Will the fashion sector ever work together on sustainability? 
The fashion industry’s supply chain remains disjointed when it comes to tackling sustainability. How likely is it that the entire sector will work together in future? Laura Syrett investigates. 2023 could see some important steps being taken to create a sustainable global fashion supply chain. The sustainability of the global fashion industry is coming under increased scrutiny. Concerns about how the industry uses water, chemicals and human labour, its greenhouse gas emissions and the mounting landfilling of ‘fast fashion’ disposables, have led politicians, sustainability activists and consumers to put pressure on the industry to change, reports Just-style.com. Read more (notice: you may need a login to read the complete article).

Euratex speaks of progress legislation, but regrets approach to the textile industry 
The European Parliament on Wednesday adopted its position on the ecodesign regulation that aims to improve the sustainability and circularity of products on the European market, including textiles. Euratex recognises the importance of accelerating the green transition and welcomes progress in legislation, but regrets the European Parliament's approach to targeting the textile industry in a regulation intended as framework legislation for all sectors, writes Euratex. Read more>>

Companies
Sustainability in the fashion industry: twelve efforts of June 2023
Every month, fashionUnited selects a number of sustainability efforts from the fashion industry from the Netherlands and abroad. Today: twelve facts from June. Read more>>

Shein Wants to Go Green. Here’s How It Plans to Do it. 
Shein wants to promote more sustainable materials. That’s the stated desire, in any case, of EvoluShein by Design, the e-tail juggernaut’s newly unveiled initiative to drive more responsible and circular practices as its production footprint spreads beyond China to Brazil and potentially Mexico.It could also double as a pointed riposte at its legion of critics, who accuse Shein of driving unfair labor conditions and environmental degradation with its ceaseless churn of $5 bikini tops and $10 dresses, most of them derived from fossil fuels, report Sourcing Journal. Read more (notice: you may need a login to read the complete article).

Primark Netherlands investigated for possible greenwashing 
The Advertising Code Committee will investigate claims made by Primark Netherlands, the editors of FashionUnited have learned. The committee has received a complaint about the company's advertising in stores and online, writes FashionUnited. Read more (notice: the article is in Dutch).

Nike under fire in Canada: research into the benefits of forced labour 
A Canadian regulator is investigating whether forced labor has occurred in the supply chain of sportswear manufacturer Nike. The North American country's corporate responsibility ombudsman received complaints from 28 organizations, which allege that Nike does business with Chinese companies that have forced Uighurs into forced labor, writes the Telegraph. Read more (notice: the articleis in Dutch).

Inditex shares sustainability goals for 2030 
Inditex wants to use only textile materials with a "smaller impact on the environment" from 2030, according to the company's annual general meeting, which took place last Tuesday, July 11. By 2030, forty percent of the fibres used by Inditex brands would come from "conventional recycling processes". 25 percent will be next gen fibers and another 25 percent will come from "organic or regenerative farming practices." In order to achieve the use of next gen material on a larger scale, Inditex plans to scale up these materials in collaboration with start-ups identified through the Inditex Sustainability Innovation Hub. Read more (notice: the articleis in Dutch).

Legislation/Government/Legal decision
Reach: New entry in Annex XVII, microplastics and glitter
EU countries on the REACH committee voted for its proposal to restrict microplastics that are intentionally added to products. Read more

Polyester Blanket Producer Faces Greenwashing Lawsuit 
Home goods player Berkshire Blanket & Home Company was hit with a class-action lawsuit claiming its “EcoSoft” blankets are misrepresented as sustainable. The lawsuit filed on Friday in a district court for Massachusetts, where Berkshire is headquartered, takes issue with marketing claims that the 100 percent polyester blanket in question is “for the planet” and uses “half the water.” “It is unclear whether this references half of the water of competitors, half the water it previously used, or some other half,” according to the 46-page complaint listing Malachi Woodiwiss, Tyler Bennett, Eric Patton, Aimen Halim, and Ashia Jones as lead plaintiffs. “This could still be a substantial amount of water with significant environmental impact, yet Berkshire makes no attempt to substantiate its claim that the amount of water being used is somehow better for the environment.” Read more>>

Material
WWF compares six leading cotton standards 
The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) has published the results of a benchmarking exercise to compare the strengths and weaknesses of six leading cotton standards in addressing sustainability issues, writes Eco-textile News. Read more>>