Sustainable Fashion? How companies provide sustainability information to consumers

Published on January 10, 2022

Immediate objective:
to promote a clear provision of the right and relevant information on the sustainability of textile products for consumers and within the supply chain. The project aims to analyze existing information systems on the basis of the SCP Guidelines, to identify gaps and best practices, and to improve the status quo on the basis of recommendations for action for politics and the economy.

Overarching objective: The project aims to promote environmental protection and to strengthen the right to know of citizens about the sustainability information in the textile and fashion sector. It also contributes to the implementation of the German National Sustainable Consumption Programme and the implementation of SDG 12. It makes important contributions to measures taken by the Federal Government, such as the German Alliance for Sustainable Textiles, the Green Button, and the Blue Angel.

The project report was shared via the internal platform of the UN Textile Alliance and via the One Planet network on Consumer Information at https://www.oneplanetnetwork.org/resource/sustainable-fashion-how-companies-provide-sustainability-information-consumers.

The project helped identify gaps and problems in achieving better sustainability in the textile and fashion industry. The conducted analysis helps better understand how to provide consumers with complete information about the sustainability of products they want to purchase. It gives a clear understanding of how the textile and fashion brands should apply the fundamental principles of the UN-Environment and ITC 2017 Guidelines for Providing Product Sustainability Information and what help they need to do it better.

Project outcomes include the following:

· Consumer awareness on textile products health and environmental effects, more sustainable and toxic-free options of textile products that are available on the market, was substantially raised;

· Information about the availability of consumer information was collected, and the existing gaps were addressed. The road test of the UNEP 10YFP SCP guidelines was undertaken and presented in the report;

· HEJSupport developed recommendations to communication gaps and potential solutions targeting producers, legislators, and consumers. The recommendations were delivered to the recipients via social media platforms, HEJSupport website, the website of the One Planet Network, and direct communication during the webinar.

· An NGO expert group was developed that contributed to the recommendations to achieve changes in the policy processes and improve information exchange among stakeholders.