ETSA tackles consultations in June

During the month of June, ETSA Secretariat  has consulted with its members and answered the following  two consultations, one on the "Sustainable Products Initiative", and the other on a "Transition pathway for a more resilient, sustainable and digital textiles ecosystem." The Sustainable Products Initiative (SPI) consultation concerns the European Commission's framework for establishing eco-design requirements for sustainable products. The Textile Transition Pathway consultation concerns the green transition and the importance of the ecosystem and the impact that the digital transition has on the greater textiles industry.  We have answered based on the opinions of our members who are experts in their field. These two consultations are important because sustainable projects are becoming more prevalent.

With regard to the  Sustainable Product Initiative consultation, in the feedback to the Commission on establishing a framework for setting eco-design requirements for sustainable products, among the most important aspects include increasing the life span of products to save resources and lessen the need for the creation of new products. We did stress, however, that longevity cannot be stretched indefinitely, and not all textile materials can be recycled or reused. This is where sustainable design is pivotal. However, for the repair and reuse to be effective, textile companies must have access to information on the composition of textile goods to properly reuse them. Thus, the implementation of the digital product passport is an important part of SPI. To put it plainly,  sustainability is embedded in our DNA.

In the Textile Transition Pathway consultation, we emphasised that sustainability should be implemented in all stages of the life of textile products. Producing sustainable and recyclable fabrics that last longer must be strongly encouraged meaning that  fabrics must be washable and reparable. Only when the textile cannot be of any more use should the product be recycled. Product design should also facilitate maintenance and repair work and the availability of spare parts. Upgradeability, modularity, and flexibility in terms of size and shape should also be promoted and ensured in the product design. It should not be underestimated that due to the number of SMEs and micro-enterprises in Europe that are not used to working with life cycle analysis, they often do not have the infrastructures to support in-depth environmental analysis. For this reason, a close attention by the EU Commission should also focus on the segment of the market with significant support allocated at the European and national levels to make sure they can implement these procedures.

This is just a little taste of what we emphasized in our communication to the Commission. We would like to thank all the members for their inputs and opinions regarding the consultations. All of the work ETSA has done in regard to these consultations is in the interest of the industry and the interest of our valued members. If  you would like to read the ETSA response to the ETSA SPI consultation and you can download it below, and if you would like to see the ETSA answer to the textile  pathways consultation you can also view it below.



SPI Answer (377.9 KB)

Pathways Consultation (100.4 KB)