Labels & Legislation News
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Wednesday, 12 August 2020Two more Sateri mills now EU-BAT compliant
SHANGHAI - Two more mills owned by cellulosic fibre producer Sateri have been confirmed as compliant with the emissions and wastewater discharge limits of the European Union's Best Available Techniques (EU-BAT) directives. It means the company,… -
Wednesday, 12 August 2020Biotech creates new test for insects in dye
LUGO - Spanish biotechnology company AMSlab - in conjunction with animal rights group PETA - has developed a test to tell whether garments have been made with the use of dyes made from crushed insects. The test for carmine, a red dye made from dried… -
Monday, 10 August 2020EOG welcomes German supply chain proposals
BERLIN - The European Outdoor Group (EOG) trade body has welcomed German proposals to introduce legislation that would that make companies legally responsible for human rights and environmental issues throughout their supply chains. Two German… -
Friday, 31 July 2020Myanmar election candidates seek to address workers’ rights
YANGON – In Myanmar, eleven aspiring election candidates have outlined their intentions to challenge for seats in order to give a voice to workers and farmers which, under the current government, face oppression when speaking out on rights issues.… -
Wednesday, 29 July 2020Tax reforms may reduce textile environmental impact
AMSTERDAM – The textile industry can take the lead in tax reforms that target natural resources and pollution rather than labour. A move that could enable job creation and help to reduce overconsumption associated with the ‘take-make-waste’ model,… -
Friday, 24 July 2020Countries urged to back EU's Cambodia action
PHNOM PENH – Today, 33 civil society organisations including the Fair Labor Association (FLA), Business and Human Rights Resource Centre (BHRRC) and Clean Clothes Campaign (CCC) have urged national governments including those of the United Kingdom,… -
Tuesday, 21 July 2020Multi-stakeholder initiatives 'failing' - report
BERKELEY - Global multi-stakeholder initiatives - including those in the apparel industry - are failing to effectively detect and remedy human rights abuses, according to the conclusions of a decade-long research project. The MSI Integrity human… -
Thursday, 16 July 2020Mulesing legislation hangs in the balance
NEW SOUTH WALES – Woolgrowers have been urged to have their say on proposed amendments to the POCTA (Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) Act in New South Wales, as the state’s Legislative Council looks to fast-track new laws that could see pain relief… -
Monday, 13 July 2020Trump urged to address PPE confusion
WASHINGTON – The American Apparel and Footwear Association (AAFA) has written to the US President’s administration, and other authorities in the country, urging that harmonised guidelines be published if retail workers are to be protected amidst the… -
Tuesday, 07 July 2020EU recommits to textile reform despite COVID-19
COPENHAGEN – In an ongoing live webinar hosted by the Global Fashion Agenda, Virginijus Sinkevičius, the EU Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries reaffirmed Europe’s commitment to deliver on flagship initiatives, such as the European… -
Wednesday, 01 July 2020Views sought on new ecolabelling proposals
STOCKHOLM - Nordic Swan Ecolabel, the official ecolabel of the Nordic countries, is appealing for input into proposed new criteria for the ecolabelling of textiles. The organisation behind the symbol - known to nine out of ten Nordic consumers and… -
Wednesday, 24 June 2020Post-Brexit deals 'must be aligned with climate goals'
LONDON - Leading businesses including IKEA and Marks & Spencer are calling on the British government to ensure that any post-Brexit trade deals are aligned with climate and environmental goals. The Aldersgate Group, an alliance of dozens of business… -
Wednesday, 24 June 2020PODCAST: How tax can help save the planet
WAKEFIELD – Femke Groothuis, founder and president of The Ex'Tax Project, explains the potential power of tax reform to transform the apparel industry at the scale and pace required. Groothuis, whose thinktank calls for the shift of taxation from… -
Wednesday, 24 June 2020AAFA calls for digitised product labelling
WASHINGTON – The American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA) has written to the US Federal Trade Commission urging that it provides a timely update to its decades-old product labelling regulations to better leverage digital solutions. “Technology… -
Friday, 19 June 2020Trump sanctions Xinjiang forced labour
WASHINGTON – US president Donald Trump has signed new legislation which sanctions the repression of Uyghur Muslims in China’s Xinjiang region, as widespread reports and mounting evidence suggest millions in this minority are held in detainment camps… -
Wednesday, 10 June 2020Los Angeles backs California worker wage bill
CALIFORNIA – Los Angeles County supervisors have thrown down their support for a new draft state bill in California designed to protect garment workers from wage theft. LA employs an estimated 45,000 garment workers – made up largely of migrants –… -
Thursday, 28 May 2020EU's COVID-19 fund to have green strings
BRUSSELS - The European Union has confirmed that its proposed €750 billion (US$830bn) package to help the bloc recover from the coronavirus crisis will be linked to environmental commitments, with a quarter of all funding set aside for action on… -
Friday, 22 May 2020California Senate backs garment worker protections bill
CALIFORNIA – The California State Senate Committee has approved a new bill which, if passed by the Senate Appropriations Committee, would expand wage theft liability in California’s garment manufacturing industry and make it essential that brands… -
Tuesday, 19 May 2020US Senate bill addresses China forced labour
WASHINGTON D.C. – The US Senate has approved a bill to sanction Chinese government officials responsible for forced labour camps in the western region of Xinjiang, where it’s believed millions of Uyghur Muslims are held against their will and forced… -
Wednesday, 06 May 2020Patagonia and Columbia link up against Trump
WASHINGTON DC - Outdoor clothing companies Patagonia and Columbia Sportwear have joined forces in a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s effort to roll back former President Obama's Clean Power Plan. The two brands filed an amicus 'friend… -
Friday, 01 May 2020Fashion associations look to bolster US financial support
WASHINGTON D.C. – Three associations representing the apparel and travel goods industries have written to the US Congress with recommendations for future stimulus measures for American businesses post-pandemic. While President Donald Trump passed… -
Wednesday, 22 April 2020Textile Standards & Legislation 2020 – in press
WAKEFIELD – The latest edition of the 96-page Textile Standards & Legislation booklet which details over 72 environmental and social standards related to the textile and apparel industries is now in press. Fully updated and revised since it was last… -
Friday, 17 April 2020
Call to link bailouts to green commitments
BRUSSELS - The European Coalition for Corporate Justice (ECCJ) is calling for any European Union (EU) corporate bailouts to help companies survive the coronavirus crisis to be linked to environmental and social commitments. It is also calling on the… -
Tuesday, 14 April 2020EU urged to delay ending Cambodia's EBA
BRUSSELS - Fashion brands are urging the European Union (EU) to postpone the partial withdrawal of tariff preferences granted to Cambodia under the EU’s Everything but Arms (EBA) trade scheme because of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The… -
Wednesday, 08 April 2020Textile Exchange releases Organic Content Standard 3.0
LUBBOCK - Textile Exchange has announced the release of Organic Content Standard 3.0, the latest incarnation of its original standard which aims to increase organic agriculture production. The new Organic Content Standard (OCS) was drawn up… -
Friday, 27 March 2020MPs urged to look again at fashion's impact
LONDON - The Centre for Sustainable Fashion (CSF) research body is urging the UK government's influential Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) to put fashion back on the agenda of subjects it is planning to investigate. Professor Dilys Williams, the… -
Friday, 20 March 2020Textile Exchange releases new Mohair standard, updates RWS
LUBBOCK – Textile Exchange has released a new Responsible Mohair Standard (RMS) alongside the first revisions to its Responsible Wool Standard (RWS). The new RMS standard is based on the same system as its wool counterpart due to the effectiveness… -
Thursday, 19 March 2020Organic textile standard gets upgraded
STUTTGART – The new version of the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) released includes new requirements for chemical formulators, makes changes to the addition of regenerated and virgin synthetic textile fibres and has added a completely new… -
Monday, 16 March 2020Naturvernforbund demands change in Norway
OSLO - Norwegian nature conservation organisation Norges Naturvernforbund (Friends of the Earth Norway) has called on the country’s Government to encourage industry players to take a more responsible role and reduce the environmental impact of… -
Thursday, 12 March 2020Commission adopts new Circular Economy Action Plan
BRUSSELS – The European Commission (EC) has adopted a new Circular Economy Action Plan, which will address product design, manufacture and waste in industries including textiles, plastics and packaging. Just one of the building blocks of the €1… -
Monday, 09 March 2020Value of UK sales of organic textiles rises
BRISTOL – UK sales of Soil Association certified organic textiles grew by 10 per cent in value to £45.4 million in 2019, according to a new report published today. The new '2020 UK Organic Textile Market Report' from the Soil Association based its… -
Friday, 21 February 2020Companies 'failing to disclose environmental impacts'
BRUSSELS - The largest study ever carried out on corporate sustainability reporting has concluded that too many companies do not fulfil their obligations to provide enough information to disclose their impacts on society and environment. The… -
Thursday, 13 February 2020H&M to review sourcing from Cambodia
STOCKHOLM - Fashion retailer H&M is to review its sourcing of garments from Cambodia following the decision of the European Union to partially suspend the country's trade preferences because of human rights violations. Cambodia will lose about 20… -
Wednesday, 12 February 2020Zalando welcomes new waste legislation
BERLIN - European online fashion platform Zalando has welcomed new German legislation to reduce the amount of unsold stock destroyed by brands and retailers. With only 0.05 pe cent of returns destroyed, the company says it will be unaffected by the… -
Wednesday, 12 February 2020EU partially suspends Cambodia trade preferences
BRUSSELS — The European Union (EU) has delivered a potential hammer blow to the garment industry in Cambodia by deciding to partially suspend the country's trade preferences because of systematic human rights violations. Cambodia will lose about 20… -
Wednesday, 12 February 2020European Green Deal 'must be transparent'
AMSTERDAM - The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) sustainability reporting organisation has backed the European Green Deal as a "global game changer" but says that accurate and transparent reporting on tackling climate change is crucial for it to… -
Friday, 31 January 2020France bans dumping of unsold fashion
PARIS - France has made it illegal for fashion brands and retailers to destroy unsold or returned clothing under wide-ranging new anti-waste legislation. The law, which the French government claims is a world first, was finally adopted after the… -
Monday, 27 January 2020Bangladesh cracks down on illegal factories
DHAKA - Some 231 illegal factories - many of them in the textile and garment industry - are set to close in the Bangladeshi capital city of Dhaka after the High Court ordered officials to cut off their gas, electricity and water supplies. The… -
Wednesday, 08 January 2020Ireland set to ban textiles from household bins
DUBLIN - Ireland is set to ban clothes and textiles from household bins, landfill and incineration under new proposals designed to reduce the impact of fast fashion on the environment. Climate Action and Environment Minister Richard Bruton sees such… -
Friday, 03 January 2020New law 'could lead to synthetic fibre ban'
WASHINGTON D.C. - Brands and retailers are being warned that proposed landmark legislation in the US to clampdown on plastic pollution could lead to restrictions on the use of synthetic fibres. Heidi Sanborn, executive director of the National… -
Friday, 03 January 2020Cambodia urged to engage with EU over EBA
PHNOM PENH — The Cambodian government is being urged to work with the European Union (EU) to retain vital trade privileges after the International Monetary Fund (IMF) warned their loss would deliver a huge blow to the country's economy. The EU is… -
Friday, 20 December 201939 US companies certified by GOTS in 2019
STUTTGART - A total of 39 US companies gained certification to the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) in 2019, bringing the total to 113 individual companies. GOTS covers the processing, manufacturing, packaging, labelling, trading and… -
Friday, 20 December 2019New rift on factory safety in Bangladesh
DHAKA - A new rift has opened up between garment factory owners in Bangladesh and the organisations which have represented western brands on factory safety in their supply lines since the Rana Plaza disaster. The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and… -
Friday, 20 December 2019EU envoy urges Cambodia to back down on EBA
MADRID - A leading European Union envoy is urging Cambodia to make political concessions to avoid the loss of special trade preferences which would massively impact on the country's apparel industry and cost about 90,000 garment workers their jobs.… -
Thursday, 12 December 2019Combined call for circular clothing economy
AMSTERDAM - Leading apparel and footwear organisations have come together to form a new organisation to call for holistic, coordinated efforts by policymakers to drive sector-wide circularity. The Policy Hub — launched by the Sustainable Apparel… -
Thursday, 12 December 2019Textiles in spotlight for European Green Deal
BRUSSELS - Textiles will be at the centre of a bid to create a circular economy in the new European Green Deal, announced this week by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Textiles, along with other "carbon-intensive industries" like… -
Tuesday, 10 December 2019Sweden set to tax chemicals in clothing
STOCKHOLM - European brands are being urged to give their views on Swedish government proposals to introduce a tax on potentially harmful chemicals in clothing and shoes. The proposed tax would be aimed to reducing the risk of consumers, workers and… -
Monday, 09 December 2019Euratex unveils circular economy action plan
BRUSSELS - European textile and clothing industry body Euratex has revealed its circular economy action plan to ensure sustainable resource use and tackle urgent environment, social and economic challenges. Euratex presented its strategy, entitled… -
Thursday, 05 December 2019
Cambodia looks resigned to losing EBA deal
PHNOM PENH - The Cambodian government appears resigned to the loss of European Union (EU) special trade preferences, a move which could massively impact on the country's apparel industry and cost about 90,000 garment workers their jobs. Cambodia… -
Wednesday, 04 December 2019US set to take on China over Xinjiang camps
WASHINGTON D.C. - The US House of Representatives has approved a bill that would make President Trump take a stand against China's treatment of Uyghur Muslims in the Xinjiang region where they are reportedly being used as forced labour in the…
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