What does the Strategy mean?
All the signs show that soon there will be extensive binding legislation for textiles. Since the EU strategy will be applicable to all European companies, we recommend that fashion brands and producers quickly get up to speed on integrating the circularity principles into their business models.
But where to start? To make it a bit more concrete we will give insight into two existing initiatives in the UK and the US. This will give you an idea of what a legislation might look like, for whom this will be applicable and how you might have to disclose your sustainability practices in the future.
Textiles 2030 WRAP (UK)
Textiles 2030 is a voluntary initiative launched by the organization WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Programme). This initiative aims to reduce greenhouse gases and the water footprint of products. In addition, it creates and delivers a circular roadmap for textiles in the UK.
Currently, the agreement gathered 92 signatories representing 62% of the UK clothing market.
Retailers and brands will have to report on:
1. The total quantity of textile products placed on the market.
2. The fibre breakdown of the total quantity of new products sold.
3. The improvement actions taken, measured as a proportion of relevant products by weight.
4. And commit to build visibility of their supply chain.
The Fashion Act (New York)
The New York Fashion Sustainability and Social Accountability Act, will be the first US law that will hold all major brands accountable for their environmental and social impacts.
This applies to fashion companies doing business in New York and generating an annual global revenue of $100 million or more. Reaching luxury brands as well as fast-fashion brands.
Fashion companies will have to:
1. Map at least 50% of their supply chains and disclose environmental impacts (GHG, water, chemicals).
2. Report the total volumes of materials they produce.
3. Reduce their impacts, including by setting and meeting Science-Based Targets for their greenhouse gas emissions.
4. Disclose median wages for workers and what measures are in place to embed responsible business conduct into policies and management systems.
Ways Otrium can help
At Otrium, we’re constantly working towards making the fashion industry smarter and less wasteful. Our purpose is clear: all clothing should be worn. It’s why we use data to solve the excess inventory problems that fashion brands often face. And it’s why we polish archive garments we receive from brands, repairing, pressing and steaming them so they regain their value, and have the best chance at finding a new home.
It’s also why we carefully repair and refurbish all our own returns, keeping them out of landfill. Any items that we cannot refurbish into good-as-new quality are stored separately at our warehouse in a separate section. Currently we are working on setting up our own circular program pilot to find a way to repurpose these.
Partnering with Otrium to match end of season and archive collections with our community of fashion-lovers is an ideal way for brands to be more circular. From the design stage and managing supply and demand, to dealing with unsold products, our data-driven systems are successfully saving many thousands of items from ending up in landfill.
About Sustainalize
We are
Sustainalize, a new generation of sustainability specialists. Since 2010, we have grown from an unknown small-scale interrupter to a strong market leader in the field of sustainability advice. As an ERM Group company, Sustainalize is now part of the largest pure-play sustainability consultancy in the world.
A sustainable future requires companies to focus on creating long-term value. Value for people, the environment and society, combined with healthy financial results. But how do you manage that? By staying inventive. We are results driven, ahead of the curve when it comes to the latest innovations and regulations. And we’re more than happy to share them with you.
Stakeholders, laws and legislation, and rating agencies increasingly expect companies to be open in their sustainability policy and performance. We’re familiar with various methodologies and understand the challenges involved in complying with (forthcoming) laws and regulations. In addition, together with our valuable partnerships, we can help to quantify - and communicate about – your sustainability performance. We translate your needs into a concrete improvement plan and connect this with your business strategy.
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