Sharing Date26 Dec, 2022
The concept of sustainability, which is rapidly evolving and spreading in today’s world, means “to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”. Companies that care about sustainability evaluate their social, economic, and environmental processes/effects and act for a more sustainable life.
The concept of sustainability in the textile sector is changing thanks to the increasing demand of customers and the control mechanisms updated by governments and institutions. However, the mentioned process of change can be challenging for producers and may cause some difficulties in terms of competitiveness and access to finance. In the transition to sustainable textiles, brands quickly create their own demands, manuals, and data entry systems. The possible effects of such data sharing on the sector distress the sub-producers. In addition, the fact that within the scope of sustainability brands do not adequately accomplish the expected improvements that they require from sub-producers in their own processes causes a serious lack of motivation in sub-producers and harms the sector’s image. Various steps are taken to prevent inconsistent practices in the sector, and studies are carried out within the scope of standardizing and regulating the concept of sustainability.
The progress of Turkish textile sector, which makes most of its foreign trade to the European Union countries, is directly affected by the new regulation and laws brought by the EU countries. Although the textile sector, which was defined as the priority sector for the circular economy by the European Commission in 2019, is one of the sectors with the highest negative impact, it has also a promising qualification for the implementation of the circular economy. The textile sector, which has the potential to achieve good results in a short time, will gradually be subject to new regulation issued by the European Union. The industry will need to adapt quickly to the changes to comply with the desired standards and “extended producer responsibility”. Subjects such as electricity, chemicals, and textiles, which are being worked on within the scope of the EU Industrial Strategy, will directly affect the entire sector, including technical textiles. Within the scope of the regulation, in parallel with the Circular Economy Action Plan; fast fashion will be a thing of the past, throwing away and burning textile wastes will be prohibited, machines used in factories will need to be approved and certified by accredited organizations, non-financial reports will be required to be published, the use of recycled content in textiles will become mandatory while access to some raw materials become difficult due to the publication of the EU Waste Regulation.
Of course, the textile industry will have to struggle with various difficulties during the transition to the new era where sustainability is at the center. For example, access to sustainable raw materials is an important agenda item. The demand for sustainable raw materials, which can be produced in limited quantities, to be included more in product compositions is increasing day by day. However, producing a product using recycled raw materials is not enough to consider it sustainable. In order for a textile product to be sustainable, the production processes such as finishing and dyeing and raw materials must be nature-friendly, the product must be designed for minimum damage and maximum usage time throughout its life, and each piece should take place in the circular economy when its life is over, and how this process will affect the nature should be calculated, in short, it must have a sustainable design and be traceable.
As a side note, it is a typical example of greenwashing that a “sustainable” raw material that will be more harmful to the environment due to the micro-polymers released during its lifetime is used instead of conventional raw materials, and marketed as sustainable. Like every other industry, the textile industry also needs to publicize its good practices through communication activities and expand its customer base. However, these communication efforts can be exaggerated, incomplete, or inaccurate from time to time and mislead the buyers. This communication error or misdirection, which is called greenwashing, can be detected by customers, rival companies, green institutes, organizations, communities, or organizations and can be the subject of lawsuits. In this respect, introducing the performed projects completely and accurately is of crucial importance, and the concept of sustainability should be well understood throughout the sector. Companies that are on the agenda with the greenwashing lawsuit may face various consequences such as a decrease in sustainability indices, removal from the lists, loss of market, loss of credibility, discontinuation of financial support, and fines. In order to avoid greenwashing, it is important to advance the process with experienced and qualified employees.
“Sustainable” management systems are inadequate in most businesses; this situation puts serious pressure on the authorities trying to keep up with social, environmental, and governance sustainability studies, customer demands, certifications, audits, reporting, and similar processes, and causes them to burn out. To prevent this, it is essential to establish an inclusive management system based on strategic principles. While establishing internal order is a priority, control of external factors is also a prominent issue for sustainable working conditions. Thanks to the platforms such as Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC), Higg FEM (Facility Environment Module), or Higg FSLM (Facility Social and Labor Module), the repetition of similar tasks on the same subjects and the loss of time caused by this situation can be prevented. Improving the performance and widening the adoption of these platforms may reduce the time spent on certifications and auditing, and it will also avoid budget losses. Another external factor that needs control is the customer’s data requests, and there is an option to regulate this request with a data-sharing system created on a single platform.
The textile industry is also affected by the rising sustainability concept which changes and develops all sectors, and governance by the studies carried out to standardize and regulate the industries with a sustainability perspective. Although the transition process for the textile industry is fast and challenging, it will be possible to offer the options to both producers and consumers where environmental and social impacts are minimized at the end of the process. In the transition phase, companies need to avoid greenwashing, understand the concept of sustainability, have a well-thought-out management system, and quickly adapt to standardization studies that are entering their lives to survive.
Resources:
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