The sourcing and production of fibres and materials used by the fashion industry comes with many repercussions. As such, adhering to thorough production standards and practices is a key component to mitigating some of the far-ranging implications of the textiles sector.
Erdos Eco Ranch
ERDOS Group has always acknowledged the responsibilities that come with being one of the world’s largest producers of cashmere. The Group is dedicated to ensuring sustainability across every aspect of the supply chain, from goat rearing, green production and designing to cashmere apparel manufacturing and retailing. On 29 September 2022, Erdos Eco Ranch was unveiled, which demonstrates the Group’s determination to protect and develop high-quality cashmere resources while preserving grasslands and enhancing ecosystems.
The organisation understands that the sustainable development of the cashmere industry relies on thriving grasslands and ecosystems, which in turn yield high quality cashmere. Thus, the Group prioritises sustainability across these areas. Construction of the Erdos Eco Ranch began in 2021, serving as a standardised demonstration ranch that integrates scientific research and rearing, training and promotion of these methods, and cashmere collection and storage.
With the aim to develop high-quality cashmere and establish an eco-friendly approach to rearing goats, the Group set up four labs on the Ranch which encompass everything from resource conservation and environmental protection to cashmere quality and animal nutrition and health. Furthermore, the Group is collaborating with China Agricultural University, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, and Inner Mongolia University to research improvements in cashmere goat breeding and the enhancement of cashmere quality.
The Importance of Collaboration
ERDOS Group also recognises that safeguarding grasslands and goats cannot be accomplished when acting alone – collaboration between herders and the industry is essential. Therefore, the Ranch also serves as a platform to support and partner with local communities to promote credible goat breeding and raising methods. The Group runs training programmes to help herdsmen to implement these methods. Erdos Group also leverages the Ranch to discuss the practical implementation of joint investment and development, with the ambition to help local communities prosper alongside the industry.
Animal Welfare
Crucially, Erdos Group is actively working on furthering and promoting animal welfare. The Group was the first enterprise in China to obtain The Good Cashmere Standard ® (GCS ®) Certification and operates under the SFA x ICCAW Cashmere Goat Welfare Code of Practice. Now, Erdos Eco Ranch is working to help herders adapt to the requirements of these certifications. Furthermore, the Group set up breeding and ranch management standards with Inner Mongolia University and promote these standards within local communities. The standards clarify the basic principles of animal welfare, introduce sustainable breeding and ranch operating protocols and mandate the tracing and recording of information on goat breeding and cashmere production at each stage.
Looking Ahead
Erdos Group is also working to establish the Ranch as a landmark, to promote sustainability and grassland culture to a wider public. On 22 April 2023, World Earth Day, the Ranch’s Mini programme was launched, allowing people to view the beautiful scenery around the Ranch and observe the high standards to which the goats are being raised and taken care of. In the future, the Group plans to introduce on-site artists and a grassland culture programme.
Erdos Group is one of Global Fashion Agenda’s Associate Partners. Find out more about our partners here.
At least two thirds of a brand’s environmental footprint can be attributed to its choice of raw materials, as reported in the GFA Monitor 2022. Hence, choosing and using the right fibres and materials, as well as production practices, is key to limiting the far-ranging implications for the biosphere.
For the fashion industry to meet the target of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees, CO2 emitted during textile fibre and material production must be reduced by at least 45 per cent by 2030, compared to a 2019 baseline. Across material types, the fashion industry will have to invest in the development of new innovative materials, business models, and systems necessary to meet the reduction goal.
Featured in our Innovation Forum, the following companies are promoting smart material choices and paving the way for industry-wide transformation by introducing innovative materials to disrupt the current trajectory and reduce the footprint of garment & footwear production.
- Arch and Hook is helping retail and fashion brands around the word reach their sustainability goals by designing and producing sustainable clothing hangers, furniture and fixtures. Their own material, BLUEWAVE® is created from 100% recycled post-consumer and post-industrial waste that has been gathered from riversides and coastlines in Southeast Asia. Instead of allowing this waste to end up polluting our oceans, Arch & Hook sees it as a chance to protect them as well as reduce the production of fossil-fuel based virgin plastic. From sportswear, department stores, high-end fashion and the hospitality industry, to name a few, Arch & Hook has supported hundreds of companies around the globe to advance their sustainability targets.
- Balena is a material science company that develops compostable and biodegradable thermoplastic material. The company’s mission is to create a circular model for consumer products by addressing one of the fashion industry’s biggest challenges: the products’ end-of-life. Balena’s first material, BioCir™, is a fully compostable and biodegradable thermoplastic that enables the production of flexible and elastomeric products that can be responsibly disposed of through BioCycling (biological recycling). Through its innovative solution, Balena is making significant contributions towards sustainability and reducing environmental pollution in the fashion industry.
- Birla Cellulose, part of Aditya Birla Group, is a leading producer of sustainable man-made cellulosic fibre (MMCF) with 12 global pulp and fibre facilities that employ closed-loop systems and ecologically friendly technologies. Its sustainable products such as Livaeco, Liva Reviva, Birla Excel (lyocell) are designed with sustainable credentials that are ideal for fashion and lifestyle applications, while being completely biodegradable. MMCF are produced from natural and renewable wood sourced from sustainably managed and certified sources. Birla Cellulose works with industry partners and organizations to implement best practices in their operations and across their value chain, with an emphasis on sustainability, innovation, and collaboration.
- Bolt Threads is a sustainable materials company that is on a mission to create and scale better materials by developing sustainable solutions for the apparel and beauty industries, drawing inspiration from nature. Their flagship product, Mylo, is a leather replacement created from mycelium that provides all the benefits of real leather without the environmental disadvantages of raising livestock. Bolt Threads partners with top brands, including Adidas and Stella McCartney, to develop high-performance, eco-friendly products that set a new standard for sustainability in fashion, putting us on a path towards a more sustainable future.
- Desserto’s mission is to be a leader in innovation by providing high-quality materials created with environmentally friendly alternatives, with a vision of inclusivity and sustainability for all. Their highly sustainable and partially biodegradable plant-based material, Desserto®, is derived from cactus and works as an alternative to leather. Through their value chain, the company has established a holistic sustainable approach to meet with the industry’s most stringent environmental, social, and ethical criteria.
- Eastman Naia is a cellulosic fibre brand with a mission to make sustainable textiles universally accessible. Their versatile Naia™ fibres solution combines technology, sustainability, and creativity to provide unlimited possibilities for sustainable style. Naia™ Renew cellulosic fibre is a fully traceable, bio-based fibre that incorporates 60% sustainably sourced wood pulp and 40% recycled waste material diverted from landfills to make new fibres without compromising softness or quality. With high standards for safety, social responsibility, and the environment, Naia™ fibres prioritise sustainable resources and a low environmental impact, enabling designers to express their vision for sustainable fashion.
- HeiQ is focused on improving the lives of billions of people worldwide by adding hygiene, comfort, protection, and sustainability to everyday products. Their HeiQ AeoniQ™ fibre results from a proprietary manufacturing process that creates a climate-positive, biodegradable, and endlessly recyclable cellulosic filament yarn that can replace polyester and nylon, helping to reduce carbon emissions and environmental pollution caused by textiles. This makes the innovative material the world’s first climate-positive continuous cellulose filament yarn.
- InResST is a low-carbon company focused on the feasibility research, development, production, and promotion of discarded fishing nets used in the textile industry. InResST recycled nylon staple fibre products are derived from recycled marine discarded fishing nets and mechanical recycling through low carbon factories. InResST’s mission is to reduce carbon emissions and protect marine ecosystems and biodiversity by partnering with environmentally conscious brands, manufacturers, and global non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to reduce plastic pollution.
- Myco Works developed Fine Mycelium™, a patented technology that engineers mycelium – the root structure of mushrooms – to grow natural materials with the qualities and hand-feel of premium animal leather but with lower environmental impact. Fine Mycelium™ materials’ durability, customizability, and aesthetic features unlock new design possibilities while its tray-based, tunable process relieves existing supply chain constraints. In addition, the company partnered with Hermès to develop Sylvania, a new biomaterial hybrid of nature and biotechnology.
Global Fashion Agenda proactively advocates for policy changes and supportive measures that reinforce sustainability targets and prompt policymakers to take informed action to foster necessary change. The GFA Monitor report is built on five sustainability priorities and outlines the opportunities and actions required for fashion brands and retailers to shift to a net positive fashion industry by 2050. As outlined in the report, greater transparency and traceability for the promotion of smart material choices is a core policy priority.
The sourcing and production of fibres and materials used by the fashion industry puts substantial pressure on natural resources and comes with implications for water, energy, and land use, as well as emissions and waste. To align textile fibre and material production with the 1.5-degree pathway and goals pertaining to soil health, biodiversity, and water conservation, players across the value cycle – from growers and suppliers to fashion brands and retailers – should jointly pursue a holistic approach to the industry’s use of materials.
- As such, the European Commission is looking into mechanisms to integrate them in the design of clothing under the Regulation on Ecodesign for Sustainable Products proposed on 30 March 2022. Following its adoption by the European Parliament and the Council, the regulation could, for instance, introduce a Digital Product Passport for textiles based on mandatory information requirements. As highlighted in the Policy Hub’s position paper on Digital Product Passport, digital product passports will be important in contributing to the digitisation of product information. GFA -in the framework of the Policy Hub- is engaging with the European Parliament and the Council who are currently negotiating the final text. We envision the Regulation to become applicable as of 2026. The horizontal framework provided by the regulation will be complemented by product specific requirements that will also cover textiles.
Aware of the importance of consumer-friendly and consistent information, the European Commission has also issued:
- a proposal for a Directive on Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition (March 2022). If adopted, the new EU rules will ensure that consumers are provided with information at the point of sale about a commercial guarantee of durability and information relevant to repair.
- a proposal for a Directive on Substantiating Green Claims (March 2023) which sets minimum requirements on the substantiation and communication of voluntary environmental claims and environmental labelling in business to-consumer commercial practices.
The promotion of innovative materials is also included as part of the EU Textiles Strategy which further outlines that Member States also play a key role in providing support to research, innovation and investments in this regard.
Lastly, at COP26, Textile Exchange and over 50 industry signatories led a “call to governments” to request for trade policy to incentivise the use of environmentally preferred materials in the apparel industry. The request calls for preferential tariffs on materials like organic cotton and recycled fibres. Work has been ongoing to determine the most effective policy strategy and partnerships in this area.
Global Fashion Agenda is one of the five members of the Steering Committee of the Policy Hub – Circularity for Apparel and Footwear. Our position papers and related advocacy actions can be found at www.policyhub.org
Global Fashion Agenda participated in and closely contributed to the 2023 OECD Forum on Due Diligence in the Garment and Footwear Sector.
During a side session that took place online on 14 February entitled ‘The interplay of Due Diligence and Upstream Circular Fashion Systems’ Global Fashion Agenda presented an interactive dialog with public and private sector actors on the connection between establishing circular fashion systems in manufacturing countries such as Bangladesh, Cambodia and Viet Nam, and mandatory Human Rights & Environmental Due Diligence. Alongside our Director of Impact & Sustainability, Holly Syrett, participants included representatives from the Policy Hub-Circularity for Apparel and Footwear, H&M Group, GIZ FABRIC and BGMEA (Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association).
The conversation shed light into the current barriers to collectively establish circular systems that benefit all stakeholders and utilise post-industrial waste opportunity. These include the lack of knowledge and knowledge sharing amongst the different stakeholders; the need for robust data; the fragmentation of the value chain; tax implications and the lack of incentives to bring in recyclers/technologies from EU/US to Asia. Amongst the policy recommendations were the importance of strengthening the risk phased approach in the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive currently under discussion at EU level and the need for harmonisation amongst all the pieces of legislation when it comes to reporting and information sharing requirements to make sure manufacturers are not overburdened.
Our Public Affairs Director, María Luisa Martínez Díez was amongst the speakers of the in person session, ‘Due Diligence of circular value chains: Addressing the risks associated with circular processes’ that took place on 16 February. Together with Zubeida Zwavel (Executive Director of the Centre for African Resource Efficiency and Sustainability (CARES) South Africa), Mauro Scalia (Director of Sustainable Businesses at Euratex) and Tobias Fischer (Development Sustainability Manager at H&M Group) she discussed what new business relationships, for instance, with recyclers, sorters, collectors, or new materials producers and processors imply for Responsible Business Conducts on due diligence, and what considerations are important when exercising due diligence on circular value chains.
María Luisa highlighted the drivers of circularity such as the adoption of circular design principles, bringing new business models to scale and more investment into textile-to-textile recycling technologies as well as activities GFA is conducting to accelerate circular practices. These include The Global Circular Fashion Forum (GCFF), a new global initiative established by GFA and funded by GIZ. The GCFF will spur local action in textile manufacturing countries to accelerate and scale recycling of post-industrial textile waste in an effort to achieve a long-term, scalable, and just transition to a circular fashion industry. The GCFF builds on GFA’s experiences with the Circular Fashion Partnership (CFP) in Bangladesh that demonstrated the potential for domestically accelerating and scaling the recycling of post-industrial textile waste to create new textiles.
The results of the conversations will contribute to ongoing research led by the OECD on the structure of circular value chains in the garment and footwear sector.
The GFA Monitor report is built on five sustainability priorities and outlines the opportunities and actions required for fashion brands and retailers to shift to a net positive fashion industry by 2050. As outlined in the report, a net-positive fashion industry requires a holistic resource stewardship approach.
Aligning the use of resources by the fashion industry with the 1.5-degree pathway requires bold commitments and bold actions to drive decarbonisation, move away from extractive practices, and contribute to the socioeconomic development in operating regions. Policy can play a huge role in ensuring a unified approach to this. Global Fashion Agenda proactively advocates for policy changes and supportive measures that reinforce resource stewardship targets and prompts policymakers to take informed action to foster necessary change.
The goal to become climate neutral by 2050 is at the heart of the European Green Deal. In order to tackle the fashion industry’s share of responsibility, the Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Action’s renewed commitments that were announced at COP26 in 2021 presented a decarbonisation plan for the industry. Commitments include sourcing 100% of electricity from renewable sources by 2030, sourcing of environmentally friendly raw materials, and phasing out coal from the supply chain by 2030.
The protection of resources at EU level is further tackled by other key policy initiatives including:
- The Annex to the proposal for a Directive on corporate sustainability due diligence which includes a reference to the prohibition of causing any measurable environmental degradation, such as harmful soil change, water or air pollution, harmful emissions or excessive water consumption or other impacts on natural resources
- The EU’s biodiversity strategy for 2030 establishing a long-term plan to protect nature and reverse the degradation of ecosystems
- The Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability through which the Commission supports the industry to substitute as much as possible and otherwise minimise the substances of concern in textile products placed on the EU market
- A forthcoming Commission initiative to address the unintentional release of microplastics in the environment announced under the EU Textiles Strategy.
- The recently released PFAS restriction proposal from 7 February 2023.
Global Fashion Agenda is one of the five members of the Steering Committee of the Policy Hub – Circularity for Apparel and Footwear. Our position papers and related advocacy actions can be found at www.policyhub.org
