The digital passport is the necessary tool for the fashion industry to make a ...
The fashion industry plays a key role in modern society's focus on sustainability
Textile production is estimated to be responsible for about 20 percent of global drinking water pollution due to the various processes the products undergo, such as dyeing and finishing, and the washing of synthetic garments releases 0.5 million tons of microfibers into the seas each year.
The washing of synthetics has led to an accumulation of half a million tons of microplastics on the ocean floor each year.
So the focus in European strategies and dynamics revolve around the key role of the digital passport, and new directives are being studied.
The digital passport is the necessary tool for the fashion industry to make a transformation in the production stages with a more ecological and ethical direction by suitably and correctly informing consumers.
The digital passport promotes sustainable fashion through the use of technology to process digital labeling, which uses Qr codes to indicate clear and transparent information to consumers about the environmental characteristics of textile products, such as clothing, home textiles, and footwear.
The digital passport makes it possible to indicate the percentage of recycled material used in production, the recyclability characteristics of the product, the presence of hazardous substances, and the geographic traceability of key processing steps.
In addition, with the digital passport it is possible to receive information to prevent greenwashing, or the use of misleading claims such as biodegradable or 100 percent sustainable.
Through this whole series of useful product information, the consumer is directed to conscious and sustainable purchasing choices according to environmental values, while the company itself is involved in a transparent and more responsible raw material sourcing process.
Meanwhile, France has already anticipated EU initiatives by passing the Agec law and with the Re-fashion initiative.
The Agec (Anti-Gaspillage pour une Économie Circulaire) law was enacted in February 2020, with the goal of promoting 360-degree circularity models by 2040.
This law does not only affect the fashion industry and is divided into five progressive steps, which among other things include phasing out single-use plastics and taking action against planned obsolescence.
Decree 2022-748 of April 29, 2022, placed the labeling of products entering the French market at the center of interest.
Labels must be digital, but it is permissible to keep them paper, and they must be accessible during purchase.
Labeling for companies with a turnover exceeding 50 million euros has become mandatory as of January 1, 2023, with subsequently reduced requirements for smaller companies in the following two years, but certain product categories, such as bags and garments made of 100 percent leather or plastic, remain excluded from the legal requirements
In parallel, the Re-Fashion initiative introduces innovative graphics to guide consumers on the correct ways to dispose of clothing, encouraging donation, resale, and proper disposal in the appropriate containers.
Other European nations could take a cue from the French initiative to make the fashion and textile industry increasingly sustainable.
In fact, Europeans consume nearly 26 kilograms of textiles each year and dispose of about 11 kilograms. Used clothing can be exported outside the EU, but is mostly incinerated or taken to landfill (87 percent). The growth of fast fashion, spurred in part by social media and the industry bringing fashion trends to more consumers at a faster pace than ever before, has played a key role in increasing consumption
In March 2022, the European Commission unveiled a new strategy to make textiles more durable, repairable, reusable, recyclable
The EU has an EU Ecolabel that manufacturers who meet ecological criteria can apply to items. This gives more visibility to products that include fewer harmful substances and cause less water and air pollution.
The Parliament has put forward ideas to change the rules on textile waste in March 2024. The revision of the Waste Directive will introduce extended producer responsibility schemes that will have to cover the costs of separate collection, sorting and recycling.EU countries will be obliged to collect textiles separately by January 1, 2025 for reuse, preparation for reuse, and recycling.
Negotiations with the Council will be conducted by the next Parliament, which will be elected in the June 6-9, 2024 European elections.
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