FSC's Recommendations on the EU Strategy for Sustainable Textiles

Among the initiatives stemming from the European Union (EU) Green Deal, the EU Commission will soon table a new EU Strategy for sustainable textiles. FSC has responded to the public consultation and shared its recommendations. 

The EU Green Deal identified textiles as a priority sector in which the EU can pave the way towards a carbon neutral, circular economy, and announced an EU Strategy on textiles.

The aim of the initiative is to set in place a comprehensive framework to create conditions and incentives to boost the competitiveness, sustainability and resilience of the EU textile sector. This will take into account the sector’s strengths and vulnerabilities, and address its environmental and social impacts.

The EU Commission has given the opportunity to interested stakeholders to share feedback on the upcoming strategy via a public consultation.

FSC has engaged in this initiative and recommended the EU Commission to:

1. Use sustainably sourced fibre types.
2. Employ robust voluntary sustainability standards to promote the use of sustainably sourced/produced fibre types in the EU and globally.
3. Ensure synergies between the EU Ecolabel and robust voluntary sustainability standards for consumers’ ultimate benefits.
4. Include sustainable sourcing in the EU Green Public Procurement criteria for textiles.

You can read FSC's recommendations in our policy position paper below. Moreover, here you can have a look at what FSC is doing to make sure that tree-based fibres are sustainably sourced.

For info on FSC's policy position on the strategy, please contact FSC's EU Affairs & Engagement Manager, Matteo Mascolo at: m.mascolo@fsc.org

For general info on FSC's work on textiles, please contact FSC's Value Chain Development Manager, Liisa Kelo at: l.kelo@fsc.org