Environmental protection in focus: Partnership initiatives that reduce emissions and close cycles
Protecting the environment and climate is one of the four key focus topics of the Partnership for Sustainable Textiles – and also an area in which joint action has a particularly visible impact. As a multi-stakeholder initiative, the Partnership and its members pursue the goal of making textile supply chains more environmentally sustainable and significantly improving environmental protection: from fibres and production to the recycling of textiles.
At the core, the aim is to support a climate-neutral circular economy in the textile sector, reduce harmful chemicals and thus protect the soil, water, air and the health of workers and residents living near production facilities. In doing so, the partnership addresses key sector risks as identified by the OECD – in particular water consumption, water pollution, chemical use and greenhouse gas emissions.
Guidance can be oriented along the EU-Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles, as well as the suggestions of the UNFCCC Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Action. The requirements derived from this by the Textiles Partnership are also harmonised with the ZDHC MRSL guidelines for responsible use of chemicals and the ZDHC Wastewater Guidelines.
Against this backdrop, two Partnership Initiatives were successfully completed last year, which have provided concrete leverage for greater environmental protection in practice: Supplier Decarbonization and Implementing Circularity in the Textile Industry.
Closing Cycles: Implementing Circularity in the Textile Industry
The transformation to a circular economy is a key objective of the EU textile strategy. Durability, reparability, recyclability and the exclusion of substances of concern are central to this. This is precisely where the partnership initiative “Implementing Circularity in the Textile Industry” came in.
The overarching goal of the initiative was to pilot the closing of the loop in the textile industry as a blueprint for other German and European companies.
The results speak for themselves:
• 7 participating brands
• 12 suppliers involved
• 90 employees trained
• 12 local businesses supported
• Total volume: €423,317 (of which €251,628 is private funding)
Together with their suppliers, the participating brands developed 25 circular designs. When the Initiative came to a close, 18 of these products had already been verified and launched on the market. This means that circularity has not only been conceptualised, but also implemented in concrete terms. Some brands have also jointly established a take-back service through which customers can return garments – an important step towards higher recycling rates and closed material cycles.
At the same time, the initiative specifically prepared companies for upcoming EU regulations such as the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR). In doing so, it not only laid the ecological groundwork, but also the strategic groundwork for regulatory requirements.
Reducing Emissions: Supplier Decarbonization
In addition to circular economy, reducing greenhouse gas emissions is a key component of sustainable ecological textile supply chains. The Supplier Decarbonisation partnership initiative addressed precisely this issue – directly at the suppliers.
The goal was to enable suppliers to draw up their own energy balances and define specific targets for reducing their greenhouse gas emissions. Workshops and training courses were used to build up expertise and create the necessary structural conditions.
The Initiative in Numbers:
• 10 participating brands
• 50 local suppliers involved
• 100 employees trained
• Total volume: €375,933 (of which €209,300 is private funding)
The participating suppliers identified a total of 177 measures to reduce their CO₂ emissions. The measures identified ranged from easy-to-implement adjustments in the area of improving lighting systems or variable speed drives to the installation of PV systems or waste heat recovery systems. This results in a potential saving of around 61,000 tonnes of CO₂ equivalent per year. A total of 87 measures were already implemented during the project period, which now avoid around 28,300 tonnes of CO₂ equivalent annually. This means that almost every second option identified for reducing emissions was directly put into practice.
These results show that climate protection in global supply chains is possible when skills are strengthened, investments are initiated, and responsibility is shared along the value chain.
From Strategy to Measurable Impact
The two completed Partnership Initiatives on the focus topic environmental protection, highlight what joint action within the Textile Partnership can achieve:
» Circular products are brought to market in a verified manner.
» Companies are being positioned for regulatory sustainability.
» Suppliers are building up expertise in climate protection.
» Concrete CO₂ savings potentials are being identified and, in some cases, already realised.
With this, the Partnership is actively contributing to the implementation of the EU Textile Strategy and the Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Action, while also addressing key environmental and climate risks in the sector.
The successful completion of the initiatives is a milestone that demonstrates how joint commitment can bring about measurable change along global textile supply chains.
More Information on the Partnership Initiative:
Implementing Circularity in the Textile Industry
More Information on the Partnership Initiative
Supplier Decarbonization