According to the proposal of the European Commission, by 2023 all clothing and footwear sold in the EU should have special labels that will inform buyers about the environmental friendliness of each product.
Product environmental impact (PEF) is an EU standardized system that aims to measure the environmental impact of commercial products. Its goal is to provide consumers with transparent and reliable information about the product, as well as to make it easier for manufacturers to certify their products.
But the Make the Label Count campaign argues that the EC’s requirements for new fabric ecolabels are not stringent enough.
The problem with the European Commission’s proposal for green garment labels is that the methodology they plan to use to measure the environmental impact of garments – product ecological footprint (PEF) – is incomplete. It currently excludes critical environmental impacts and does not reflect the EU’s own sustainable development goals.
“Under the current system, all natural fibers will be ‘red’,” said Dalena White, general secretary of the International Wool Organization. “This is because microplastic contamination, biodegradability and renewability are excluded from the evaluation criteria, and these are areas where natural fibers actually benefit greatly.”
Apparel sustainability labels can help make fashion and textiles more sustainable. The proposed labels are likely to set a global standard and can yield positive results, but only if the method underlying it is changed.
Source: The Guardian
