#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/

“Production is a product”

From technical textiles and AI-driven robotics to the limitations of textile circularity: Professor Dr Thomas Gries looks back on more than two decades of development at ITA Aachen. In the interview, he explains why production technology remains a decisive success factor, discusses international collaborations and innovation ecosystems, and shares his views on the transformation of production landscapes and the challenges facing an increasingly regulated industry.

“We need to move away from the price trap and return to a value-driven mindset.”

With its new Textile Innovation Center, KARL MAYER is sending a strong signal for innovation, collaboration, and the future of textile applications. In this interview, Karl Josef Mayer discusses new opportunities in warp knitting, the processing of staple fibres, recycling, the changing role of machinery manufacturers, and why the textile industry must once again focus more strongly on the value of textiles. by Oliver Schmidt

“Innovation, resilience and international experience remain the great strengths of the Swiss textile machinery industry”

Geopolitical uncertainty, growing competitive pressure from China, new free trade agreements and the shift towards a circular economy are currently reshaping the global textile industry. In this interview, Cornelia Buchwalder discusses the current mood within the Swiss textile machinery sector, the industry’s distinctive innovative strength, new market opportunities in India and Asia, and the technological trends that could shape the upcoming trade fair cycle leading up to ITMA 2027.

Results of the 38th ITMF Global Textile Industry Survey

The global textile industry appears to be turning a corner, but this is more likely a fragile and possibly temporary improvement than the start of a durable recovery. According to the 38th ITMF Global Textile Industry Survey, conducted worldwide during the second half of May 2026, business sentiment, order intake, order backlogs and capacity utilization all improved versus March — yet every indicator remains weak by historical standards, and rising costs cast doubt on how long the upturn can last.

Closing the Footwear Loop reveals challenges and opportunities for circular footwear

The footwear industry faces one of the most complex circularity challenges in the fashion sector. A new Phase 1 report from the Fashion for Good initiative Closing the Footwear Loop, developed together with Circle Economy, provides new insights into the composition, condition and recycling potential of post-consumer footwear waste.

The updated poster on biodegradable Polymers in various environments has been released

As part of the PerPlacsBio project, nova-Institute has updated its popular poster on the biodegradability of polymers in different environments. The updated version reflects current standards, certifications and the latest scientific findings. The poster can be used to assess biodegradable alternatives for use in agriculture and forestry, and it is now available in German for the first time.

A new standard to combat plastic waste in forests

With DIN SPEC 35808 “Tree Shelter for Forestry Applications,” the testing and research service provider Hohenstein, in collaboration with Rottenburg University of Forestry, as well as forestry authorities and industry partners, has established a clear framework for bio-based and fully biodegradable tree shelters. The pre-standard defines requirements and practical testing methods designed to reduce plastic waste in forests and strengthen the long-term protection of soil and the environment.

DYNEEMA® and NP Aerospace advance personal protection for military servicewomen

Dyneema®, owned by Avient Corporation, an innovator of materials solutions, is supplying its high-performance unidirectional (UD) materials to world-leading armor manufacturer NP Aerospace, enabling the production of armor systems designed specifically to fit the female body. With 2,000 new armor systems, including 4,000 plates, made in the United Kingdom (UK) and delivered in June 2026, this collaboration addresses a long-standing lack of high-quality personal protection specially built for female defense and security personnel.

Textile Exchange publishes comprehensive polyester LCA study

Textile Exchange has released a new Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) study on polyester, providing detailed data on the environmental impacts of both virgin and recycled polyester production. The study aims to strengthen understanding across the fashion, textile and apparel industries and support more informed decision-making regarding polyester sourcing and production.