• Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • About Us
  • Supplier Directory
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • Logout
  • My Profile

  • CORONAVIRUS
  • LOGISTICS
    • Air Cargo
    • All Logistics
    • Express/Small Shipments
    • Facility Location Planning
    • Freight Forwarding/Customs Brokerage
    • Global Gateways
    • Global Logistics
    • Last Mile Delivery
    • Logistics Outsourcing
    • LTL/Truckload Services
    • Ocean Transportation
    • Rail & Intermodal
    • Reverse Logistics
    • Service Parts Management
    • Transportation & Distribution
  • TECHNOLOGY
    • All Technology
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Cloud & On-Demand Systems
    • Data Management (Big Data/IoT/Blockchain)
    • ERP & Enterprise Systems
    • Forecasting & Demand Planning
    • Global Trade Management
    • Inventory Planning/ Optimization
    • Product Lifecycle Management
    • Sales & Operations Planning
    • SC Finance & Revenue Management
    • SC Planning & Optimization
    • Sourcing/Procurement/SRM
    • Supply Chain Visibility
    • Transportation Management
  • GENERAL SCM
    • Business Strategy Alignment
    • Education & Professional Development
    • Global Supply Chain Management
    • Global Trade & Economics
    • HR & Labor Management
    • Quality & Metrics
    • Regulation & Compliance
    • SC Security & Risk Mgmt
    • Sustainability & Corporate Social Responsibility
  • WAREHOUSING
    • All Warehouse Services
    • Conveyors & Sortation
    • Lift Trucks & AGVs
    • Order Fulfillment
    • Packaging
    • RFID, Barcode, Mobility & Voice
    • Robotics
    • Warehouse Management Systems
  • INDUSTRIES
    • Aerospace & Defense
    • Apparel
    • Automotive
    • Chemicals & Energy
    • Consumer Packaged Goods
    • E-Commerce/Omni-Channel
    • Food & Beverage
    • Healthcare
    • High-Tech/Electronics
    • Industrial Manufacturing
    • Pharmaceutical/Biotech
    • Retail
  • REGIONS
    • Asia Pacific
    • Canada
    • China
    • Europe
    • Latin America
    • Middle East/Africa
    • North America
  • THINK TANK
  • PODCASTS
  • VIDEOS
  • WHITEPAPERS
Home » Global Fashion Brands Face EU Crackdown to Clean Up Textiles

Global Fashion Brands Face EU Crackdown to Clean Up Textiles

Global Fashion Brands Face EU Crackdown to Clean Up Textiles
March 17, 2020
Bloomberg

Europe’s fashionwear manufacturers and importers may face stricter environmental rules under a push to clean up textiles production.

In a fresh sign of the European Union’s ambitions to expand its green regulatory footprint around the globe, the bloc’s environment chief vowed to zero in on the apparel industry to ensure that it avoids using harmful chemicals and wasting water.

Environment Commissioner Virginijus Sinkevicius called textiles the “new plastic” when it comes to trash. Draft EU rules will aim to require information on clothing labels about the resources used in manufacturing and set sustainability obligations for producers seeking access to the 500 billion-euro ($567 billion) European single market for textiles and apparel, he said.

“We’ll definitely go into labeling,” Sinkevicius said in an interview in Brussels where he announced a wide-ranging action plan on Wednesday. “But a major thing is product policy -- what is sold on the EU market.”

Already vowing to lead the worldwide fight against greenhouse gases blamed for climate change, Europe is gearing up for a parallel crackdown on earthbound pollution.

The EU announced in December an unprecedented “Green Deal” to become the first climate-neutral continent through an economic overhaul that will affect industries ranging from energy to agriculture.

The new “circular economy” initiative covers industries ranging from textiles and construction to electronics and batteries. It sets the stage for months of work by the European Commission, the EU’s regulatory arm, on detailed proposals that EU lawmakers would need to approve in a process lasting many more months.

The portion of the plan dealing with textiles has the potential to affect numerous apparel companies that rely on low-cost Asian countries including China, Vietnam and Bangladesh as production sites.

Soft Power

It would be a further example of how the EU, the world’s most lucrative single market, deploys its rule-making authority to exert soft power over businesses across the globe. A previous landmark example of this occurred in the mid-2000s when, during three years of deliberations, the EU pushed through tougher chemical rules over the resistance of the industry and trade partners.

The 29-year-old Sinkevicius downplayed the prospect of conflict with textile manufacturers and importers, saying many companies now see business opportunities in tighter environmental regulation.

“We will need to work with the companies and work with their value chains,” he said. “Companies need to change their value chains. That’s the most important.”

Sinkevicius, who comes from Lithuania, said that EU national governments would have to step up enforcement of any new environmental legislation covering the textiles industry to ensure the bloc’s credibility. “The commission will be very vocal on implementation -- on filling the implementation gap,” he said.

Sinkevicius signaled that the future EU labeling framework for textiles would resemble decade-old European “eco-design” legislation for improving the energy efficiency of household appliances like refrigerators and televisions. These rules, which include labeling requirements, have helped cut EU electricity consumption by the amount of power that Italy uses annually, he said.

“Many companies claim that they give you green textiles and so on, but we will try to say what is really green,” Sinkevicius said. “It’s about consumers making smart choices.”

RELATED CONTENT

RELATED VIDEOS

Product Lifecycle Management Global Supply Chain Management Regulation & Compliance Sustainability & Corporate Social Responsibility Apparel Europe
KEYWORDS Apparel Europe Product Lifecycle Management Regulation & Compliance Sustainability & Corporate Social Responsibility
  • Related Articles

    Fashion Turns to Mapping Technology to Clean Up Supply Chains

    China Softens Coal Focus in Bid to Clean Up Its Skies

    New Adidas CEO Plans Fast-Fashion Focus to Catch Up to Nike

  • Related Events

    Post-Pandemic Impacts on Food & Beverage Businesses and How to Ensure Resiliency

Bloomberg

As Retail Sales Improved, Inventories Rose Less in February Than Expected

More from this author

Wake up to Coronavirus Updates and the latest Supply Chain News!

Subscribe to our Daily Newsletter

Timely, incisive articles delivered directly to your inbox.

Popular Stories

  • Coronavirus-watch-Armada

    Virus Update: Biden Sees Fast Rollout of J&J Vaccine; Astra CEO Defends Delivery Shortfall

    Coronavirus
  • West Coast Port Congestion

    Shippers Need Alternatives to West Coast Port Congestion

    Logistics
  • Mexico

    The Near-Shoring Trend: Will China’s Loss Be Mexico’s Gain?

    Logistics
  • Robotic automation

    Autonomous Supply Chains Are on the Horizon

    Coronavirus
  • Drugmakers

    Research Lays Groundwork for More U.S.-Made Drugs

    Coronavirus

Digital Edition

Scb feb 2021 lg

2021 Supply Chain Management Resource Guide

VIEW THE LATEST ISSUE

Case Studies

  • Remote Implementation: A Dose of the Right Medicine for B2B Pharmacy

  • LSP Saves Customer $1.5 Million a Year With MPO Global Inbound Management

  • Auto Supplier Wows Key Client Using riskmethods Supply Chain Savvy

  • Integrating Shipping and Compliance Saves Conglomerate Millions

  • How a Consumer Goods Giant Upped Its On-Time Delivery Performance

Visit Our Sponsors

6 River Systems ArcBest Armada
aThingz BluJay Burris Logistics
DSC Logistics DCSA (Digital Container Shipping Association) DHL Resilience360
Genpact Geodis GEP
Honeywell Intelligrated Infor Logility
Magnitude Software MPO Old Dominion
Oliver Wight OpenSky Ports America
Purolator QAD Precision Red Classic
Riskmethods Snapfulfil TGW Systems
Transportation Insights Watson Land Company Westfalia Technologies
Workjam Yang Ming  
  • More From SCB
    • Featured Content
    • Video Library
    • Think Tank Blog
    • SupplyChainBrain Podcast
    • Whitepapers
    • Webinars
  • Digital Offerings
    • Digital Issue
    • Subscribe
    • Manage Your Subscription
    • Newsletters
  • Resources
    • Events Calendar
    • SCB's Great Supply Chain Partners
    • Supplier Directory
    • Case Study Showcase
    • Supply Chain Innovation Awards
    • 100 Great Partners Form
  • SCB Corporate
    • Advertise on SCB.COM
    • About Us
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact Us
    • Data Sharing Opt-Out

All content copyright ©2021 Keller International Publishing Corp All rights reserved. No reproduction, transmission or display is permitted without the written permissions of Keller International Publishing Corp

Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing