#Sustainability

2022-03-24

The great green washing machine, part 2

A new white paper, authored by Veronica Bates-Kassatly and Dorothee Baumann-Pauly and launched by the consultancy Eco-Age, looks at some of the major concerns with sustainability assessments that are currently used for fashion.

This paper follows the first of the series, which looked at how fashion defines sustainability and how a vital metric, impact on the multidimensionally poor, is left out of the equation.

Part 2 moves into environmental impact assessment, arguing that the cradle to gate measurements used by fashion ignore the harmful outcomes in some garments use and disposal.

The authors make a case for measuring impacts per wear, rather than per kilo, and investigate the overlooked impacts of polyester.

Throughout the paper, the authors include an action point for each concern that is raised, urging policymakers and corporations to ensure that present actions do not compromise future generations.

IWTO Secretary General Dalena White welcomed the new paper’s findings, saying, “‘Sustainability’ has become a fashion trend and very lucrative business model, but in the world of textiles, it is interwoven with greenwashing and manipulated data sets, carefully selected to optimise profits.

“The European Commission recently actioned a sweep of 344 websites making sustainability claims and found nearly half were lacking in evidence and 42% of green claims were exaggerated, false or plain deceptive.”

The European Commission promises to publish a European strategy for sustainable textiles this July.

Read the paper here:

https://eco-age.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Great-Green-Washing-Machine-Report-Part-2_FINAL.pdf

Key issues raised:

• The limited scope of life cycle assessments (LCAs)

• Water use in cotton farming, the impact of lower yields on farmer income and biodiversity, and the overlooked impact of manure

• Digging deeper into existing sustainability studies – time frames, locations, allocation methods, and values that radically change impacts

• Overlooked impacts of polyester and microfibres

Insights from the authors

Eco-Age supported the launch of the white paper, ‘The Use and Misuse of Sustainability Metrics in Fashion’ and the authors share their insights here https://youtu.be/3kKDmji1X3A

Learn More About the Links Between Wool and Sustainability

For more information on wool and its many environmental benefits, take a look at our fact sheets, statistics and guidelines. You can find all resources here:

https://iwto.org/resources/

Texprocess 2026: Automation, digitalisation and AI redefine textile processing

Making investment decisions in textile processing has become significantly more demanding. Increasing energy costs, a shortage of skilled labour and ongoing geopolitical uncertainties are compelling companies to focus on technologies that deliver clear gains in efficiency and process reliability. This applies equally to apparel manufacturing and to the processing of technical textiles and high-performance materials. As a result, modernisation initiatives are assessed more carefully – even as the need to upgrade production systems continues to intensify.

Techtextil 2026: Between innovation pressure & market reality

From 21 to 24 April 2026, Techtextil in Frankfurt am Main will once again become the central meeting point for the international technical textiles and nonwovens industry. Running in parallel, Texprocess will focus on the industrial implementation of textile processing technologies as the leading platform in this field. Together, the two trade fairs form a closely integrated presentation and working platform along the entire textile value chain – from material development to finished applications.

Between geopolitical pressure and industrial resilience

In this interview, Dr. Janpeter Horn (VDMA) discusses the current challenges facing textile machinery manufacturers, shaped by geopolitical tensions, regulatory developments and subdued investment. He also outlines why innovation strength, integrated solutions and strategic positioning remain key to global competitiveness.

Hohenstein publishes 2025 Sustainability Report

The testing and research service provider Hohenstein has published its latest sustainability report, outlining key progress and strategic initiatives. The report focuses on ambitious CO₂ reduction targets, the company’s new mission statement and the systematic expansion of sustainable services for customers worldwide.

Global Standard gGmbH launches second public consultation for GRTS Draft 2 for the textile industry (1–30 April 2026)

Global Standard gGmbH is pleased to announce the release of Draft 2 of the Global Responsible Textile Standard (GRTS) for its second public consultation. The consultation will be open from 1 April 2026 to 30 April 2026, inviting stakeholders across the textile and apparel value chain to provide input and contribute to the further development of this new Standard.

Textile Exchange publishes cotton Life Cycle Assessment study to strengthen impact data

Textile Exchange has published the first in a series of seven Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) studies designed to improve the quality and robustness of environmental impact data for raw material production across the fashion, textile, and apparel industry. The first LCA study focuses on cotton and addresses critical data gaps and methodology variability through new high-quality data across key producing countries. The study includes organic, regenerative, recycled, and country averages for conventional cotton production systems, providing a clearer picture of the associated environmental impact.

Techtextil & Texprocess 2026: Global benchmark for textile innovation – Performance Apparel Textiles takes centre stage at the opening

With 1,700 exhibitors from 54 countries, Techtextil and Texprocess 2026 showcase the full range of innovation within the international textile industry – from new materials and recycling technologies to finishing solutions and high-performance textile manufacturing and processing technologies. The opening press conference centred on a key theme where innovation is especially strong: Performance Apparel Textiles.

Circulose and CTA announce collaboration to enable lyocell fibers using CIRCULOSE® pulp

Circulose has announced an agreement with China Textile Academy Green Fibre (CTA) to offer lyocell fibers produced using CIRCULOSE® pulp. Producing lyocell from recycled pulp at commercial scale is an important step in making textile-to-textile recycled materials available across a wider range of textile applications.