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Muoti- ja urheilukauppa ry

Goal is to support fashion and sport retail and commerce.

Lobbying Activity

Response to Revision of EU rules on textile labelling

26 Sept 2023

Reform of Textile Product Labeling Current Situation: Currently, mandatory labels on textile products sold in Finland include: Fiber content in Finnish and Swedish using official fiber names Care instructions: verbally in Finnish and Swedish or using symbols Identification of the responsible party: brand, importer, manufacturer, etc. (no need to specify the role of the company) For consumer products, labels are attached directly to the product, on a separate tag or sticker. Textile products sold by the meter can provide fiber composition information on the fabric piece or packaging. Considerations for Changes: For textile products sold to consumers, there is already a substantial amount of both mandatory and voluntary information. The principle should be to include ONLY information relevant to consumers. Adding information should only be considered if there is a WIDESPREAD need for it or if the information could be easily misinterpreted. Every change incurs costs and requires guidance, so potential benefits must be carefully weighed. The industry is predominantly composed of small businesses, with 88% employing fewer than 10 people. New requirements should be feasible for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) as well. Fiber Content Declaration According to regulations regarding fiber content of textiles, labels or markings should primarily be in the official language(s) of the member state where the textile products are made available to consumers. However, this has become less significant due to the growth of cross-border e-commerce. When making product markings, it is often unknown from which member state the consumer is purchasing the product. For example, Finnish consumers already buy nearly one-fifth of their clothing from other EU countries. These products often have fiber content labels in one of the official languages of the EU or their abbreviations. Some brands have solved the multilingual issue by using labels that encompass all EU official languages, which can actually confuse consumers. Therefore, it would be advisable to transition to using harmonized abbreviations or pictograms for indicating fiber content. For fairness, all businesses, including Chinese online retailers, should be held to the same requirements in practice. Effective verification of labels on products purchased from third countries is still unresolved. For example, clothing bought from East Asia often features languages that consumers barely understand. Digital Reporting and Product Passport For cost savings and harmonization in the single market, product markings should ideally be either entirely or optionally readable and storable digitally. Mandatory labels are needed not only at the time of purchase but also for washing and care instructions. Digitally readable and storable information could offer consumers a more permanent way to access care instructions. For instance, washing machine manufacturers could provide ready-made smart device programs for caring for consumers' textiles. Duplication of markings and over-marking should not be made mandatory. The data content of digital product passports and product labels should be combined and reported only once, ensuring that the harmonized information is consistent throughout the EU without exceptions based on country or language. Sustainability and Recycling Labels Sustainability labels should be addressed within the framework of green claims regulation, and overlapping regulations should be avoided. The same topic should not be regulated both in textile labels and green claims. The same applies to organic or similar labels on products. Potential sustainability and recycling labels should have harmonized criteria that are easily understandable even for small businesses. Recycling labels should be developed when the supply of recycled fibers is sufficient, clear criteria and standards exist for different recycled fibers, and recycling of products is widespread or at least feasible. The
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Response to Measures to reduce microplastic pollution

29 Dec 2021

• synthetic materials (polyester, polyamide) are very much needed in the textile markets: o Outdoor garments: Synthetic materials are more durable and repels moisture naturally. Good quality products made with synthetics can last for generations, which makes them sustainable in that sense. o Sport garments: Synthetic materials are needed due their low moisture absorbency. Natural fibres tend to absorb a lot of moisture which makes the garment feel uncomfortable and cold in active usage. o If we would try to replace synthetic fibres with cellulosic fibres, multiple finishing would be needed to reach the needed properties. These fibres wouldn’t be very sustainable and probably not even biodegradable anymore. • The uniform standard test method for testing microplastic shedding is needed! This is the basis for all the actions to be taken against microplastics and only after this it is possible to comprehensively evaluate microplastic shedding in different materials and in different phases of the product life cycle (e.g. washing vs. wearing). This is also crucial if manufacturers would need to label their garments somehow including microplastic content. • Recycled synthetics and biodegradable synthetics - it is very important to know if these materials actually shed less microplastics compared to virgin synthetic materials, before setting targets to manufacturers. Also, are biodegradable synthetics really biodegradable or do they just break down in microplastics quicklier? • Filters in washing machines and tumble dryers as well as waste and waste water management plays a very big role! • In addition to above, we would put focus on developing fibre, yarn & textile structures to be less shedding and where possible • replacing synthetic materials with natural / man-made cellulosic materials. • It is also important to know the actual source of the microfibres in textiles. Is it also cellulosics in addition to synthetics? • New methods of reduce microplastic of garments are linked to vacuum treatment instead of energy and water intensive washing. • Some products like textiles sold on rolls cannot be washed before use. • Centralised collection is more efficient than take back schemes. I real life consumers use their garments 6 Years before discard. This has actually very little to do with micro plastic releses. • Suomen ympäristökeskus (SYKE) has made reseach on mikropalstic releases from textiles
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