Natural Fibre Industries Unite to Champion Fair Textile Legislation in Europe

IWTO is proud to co-lead the Make the Label Count (MTLC) campaign as it continues to drive meaningful change in European textile legislation for natural fibres.

Since launching in 2021, this collaborative initiative has grown into a powerful coalition of more than 70 members representing all natural fibres globally. Together, MTLC spans the entire value chain, working to support the EU’s policymakers as they navigate the complex world of textiles.

The campaign’s impact has been substantial, with members engaging in more than 100 conversations with regulators and organizing various events to demonstrate the positive environmental impacts of natural fibres.

Driving Improvements in Environmental Impact Assessment

Natural fibres offer renewability, biodiversity support, recyclability, and biodegradability – qualities that position them as ideal solutions for the circular economy demands facing today’s retail sector.

Yet current footprinting methodologies rely on Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs) that fail to account for these positive environmental impacts. This challenges how environmental impacts are measured and communicated.

“While clothing and textile production doubled during the first 15 years of this century, with more than 60% of fibres now fossil fuel-based, natural fibre production involves capturing carbon from the atmosphere through photosynthesis – a critical environmental function that current methodologies fail to recognize,” explains Dalena White, IWTO Secretary General, co-spokesperson for Make the Label Count.

The limitations in current LCA-based footprinting methodologies inadvertently steer retail buying managers away from natural fibres toward fossil fuel-based alternatives, even as leading research recognises limitations in LCA-based methods.

Addressing Methodological Shortcomings

MTLC calls for impact techniques to move beyond LCA and into circularity, to include positives like biodiversity and carbon sequestration, as well as microplastic pollution indicators. The campaign advocates for consequential LCAs that better reflect supply chain improvements and agricultural advances, rather than the current attributional approach that provides only a snapshot in time.

Recognizing the need for improvement, the European Commission has prohibited the creation of single scores based on the Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) methodology, as well as business-to-consumer (B2C) communications.

The Commission is also initiating a review of its PEF rules later this year.

Industry Collaboration

MTLC acknowledges the generous support of all natural fibre industry members who contribute their time and resources to the Campaign. This industry-wide collaboration is an invaluable part of the Campaign’s continued momentum.

👉 Download the MTLC Media Release here