Activities of Pernille WEISS related to 2022/2171(INI)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on an EU Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles
Amendments (104)
Amendment 9 #
Draft opinion
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
A a. whereas women of all ages who are income recipients are more easily recognised as individuals by society and are no longer represented by their spouses, partners or families in all their diversity;
Amendment 14 #
Draft opinion
Recital A b (new)
Recital A b (new)
A b. whereas women's leadership is central to the successful promotion of a circular economy;
Amendment 17 #
Draft opinion
Recital A c (new)
Recital A c (new)
A c. Whereas the clothing sector employs in total over 1.1million workers across the EU in 130 000 companies out of which 99% are SMEs; whereas women represent 52% of the workforce in the textile sector, 79% in the clothing sector, and 58% in the leather and footwear sectors;
Amendment 22 #
1 a. Highlights the importance of the textiles ecosystem for jobs, growth and the preservation of cultural heritage in Europe; underlines that the European textile sector as of 2022 had an annual turnover of 147 billion with 58 billion euros in exports and 106 billion euros in imports and employs 1,3 million European citizens 1a; _________________ 1a https://euratex.eu/wp- content/uploads/EURATEX_FactsKey_Fi gures_2022rev-1.pdf
Amendment 23 #
Draft opinion
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas the textile industry is one of the most polluting industries2 ; whereas Europeans consume on average 26 kg of textiles per person per year - a significant share of these coming from third countries; whereas women and girls are frequently exposed to additional gender- specific factors and barriers that consistently render them more vulnerable to the impacts of climate change and disasters; _________________ 2 https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/he adlines/society/20201208STO93327/the- impact-of-textile-production-and-waste-on- the-environment-infographic
Amendment 30 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas synthetic and man-made fibres already account for more thannearly two thirds (7064 %)6 of total global fibre production; __________________ 6 https://textileexchange.org/app/uploads/20 22/10/Textile-Exchange_PFMR_2022.pdf
Amendment 31 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)
Recital C a (new)
Ca. whereas the European textile sector as of 2022 had an annual turnover of 147 billion with 58 billion euros in exports and 106 billion euros in imports; whereas the textile sector employs 1,3 million European citizens; whereas this industry is made up of approximately 143 thousand European companies, of which 11% are Small or Medium-sized Enterprises, and 88,8% are Micro enterprises with less than 10 employees1a; __________________ 1a https://euratex.eu/wp- content/uploads/EURATEX_FactsKey_Fi gures_2022rev-1.pdf
Amendment 37 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2 a. Stresses the need to support SMEs within the textiles ecosystem in moving away from linear business models and unsustainable practices; therefore calls for the creation of a network of regional and national sustainability & innovation hubs to assist companies, in particular SMEs, in the twin digital and green transition; notes the opportunity the ‘Enterprise Europe Network’ may offer in this regard;
Amendment 38 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 b (new)
Paragraph 2 b (new)
2 b. Acknowledges the threat for European industry and sustainability by imports of textiles that are non-compliant with EU legislation; urges the Commission and Member States to increase their monitoring and market surveillance to ensure compliance with EU-legislation, with special emphasis on non-EU companies to ensure a level- playing field for European businesses; welcomes the potential for establishing new mutually beneficial trade agreements, and strengthening existing trade relationships that can safeguard conformity of textiles products with EU legislation, and further can support the creation of jobs and economic growth both in the EU and among trade partners;
Amendment 41 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 c (new)
Paragraph 2 c (new)
2 c. Calls on the Commission and Member States to analyse the possibility to provide relevant and cost-effective support to third countries and suppliers in those countries to decarbonise textile supply chains, which will have positive influence on European businesses as well;
Amendment 43 #
Draft opinion
Subheading 1 a (new)
Subheading 1 a (new)
Ecodesign, the Digital Product Passport and Textiles Labelling
Amendment 44 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 e (new)
Paragraph 2 e (new)
2 e. Takes note of the extension of the ecodesign regulation beyond energy- related goods, including textiles; underlines that great potential for more circular and sustainable textiles lies in the design phase of such products; urges the Commission to consult with research institutions and relevant stakeholders before setting clear targets and measures in the ecodesign delegated acts for different textile product categories on a risk-based and life-cycle approach, including a cost-benefit analysis; underlines that the targets need to reflect the given differences of diverse textiles products in their production processes and consumer usage and that they are technically feasible in accordance with state-of-the art technology; further calls for a transition period for the ecosystem to comply with new product-based ecodesign requirements;
Amendment 45 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 f (new)
Paragraph 2 f (new)
2 f. Underlines that information and notably performance requirements should be carefully fine-tuned to ensure technical and economic feasibility, including on aspects such as functionality, scalability and security of supply, creativity of design and competitiveness of European businesses, as well as affordability for consumers; highlights the importance of coherent information requirements for textiles products to be aligned with functionalities and responsibilities of the Digital Product Passport (DPP), in line with data protection obligations, trade secrets and intellectual property rights;
Amendment 46 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1 a. Notes that for women, Europe has historically been fertile ground for the founding and development of the most important, successful and high quality driven brands and industries in the textile and garment industry;
Amendment 46 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 f (new)
Paragraph 2 f (new)
2 f. Recognizes the great amount of investment needed for the digitalisation of the textiles ecosystem and therefore calls on the Commission and Member States to increase their funding efforts in this regard; recognizes that the access, sharing and processing of data relating to textiles ecosystem are essential for its digital transition;
Amendment 47 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 g (new)
Paragraph 2 g (new)
2 g. Emphasizes the role the Digital Product Passport can play to enable greater circularity and new business models of textiles by making data more accessible and transparent along the supply chain; is convinced of the possible business opportunities for commercialisation that can be invented through the DPP due to benefits in terms of transparency, consumer behaviour understanding, supply chain accuracy, waste reduction and correct treatment of textiles for recycling, reuse and repair; therefore calls for an immediate creation of a Pilot Project, funded by Horizon Europe, laying down the fundamental criteria and infrastructure needs for the DPP;
Amendment 48 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 b (new)
Paragraph 1 b (new)
1 b. Regrets that for the most part the production process of goods in the textile and garment industry has been delocalised in extra EU countries and to that end laments the consequential loss of employment and entrepreneurial opportunities for European women workers;
Amendment 48 #
2 i. Points out that the information provided by the Digital Product Passport needs to be relevant, accurate and up-to- date, and that the information can be easily accessible and usable for authorities, consumers and stakeholders along the supply chains; calls on the Commission to gradually phase-in the DPP with a longer implementation period for SMEs, and especially micro- enterprises taking account of their capacities, and to support them to ensure full compliance with the regulation; further calls on the Commission to base the DPP implementation on existing data bases, data infrastructures and data sharing best-practices to avoid duplication and unnecessary administrative burden;
Amendment 49 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 j (new)
Paragraph 2 j (new)
2 j. Recalls that questions regarding data reliability and verifiability, legal liability for the data published, access to data for companies along the whole supply chain, remain open to-date, and need to be addressed accordingly by the Commission and Member States; underlines the need to implement the DPP data obligations with specific consideration for information that constitutes trade secrets or concerns intellectual property rights;
Amendment 51 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 c (new)
Paragraph 1 c (new)
1 c. Welcomes the fact that the market of women’s vintage garments has been reinvigorated in recent years;
Amendment 58 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3 a. Calls on the Commission, Member States and industry stakeholders to embrace the New European Bauhaus initiative and the principles of sustainability, aesthetics and inclusion for the transition of the ecosystem, as the connection of creativity, arts and science can facilitate social acceptance and help to overcome central challenges ahead; underlines that product attractiveness plays an important role in changing consumers´ habits and thus is a precondition for a sustainable transition of the European textile industry; highlights the uniqueness of the European creative sector in the world;
Amendment 59 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3 a. Calls on the Commission, Member States and industry stakeholders to embrace the New European Bauhaus initiative and the principles of sustainability, aesthetics and inclusion for the transition of the ecosystem, as the connection of creativity, arts and science can facilitate social acceptance and help to overcome central challenges ahead using an evidence-based design methodology;
Amendment 67 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 b (new)
Paragraph 3 b (new)
3 b. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to ensure policy coherence among the policy measures identified in the EU Textiles Strategy and the transition pathway to create a predictable, harmonised, relevant and seamless legal framework in line with existing EU legislation, in particular regarding the ecodesign requirements for textiles with sufficient implementation time for businesses; further urges the Commission and Member States to safeguard harmonisation of national policies at the EU level to ensure legal certainty and predictability for business operators in the Single Market, especially SMEs, and support the free movement of goods; stresses that policy measures should be duly justified by significant positive environmental impacts;
Amendment 68 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Welcomes the Commission communication on an EU Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles and the vision it presents for 2030; stresses that actions following the publication of the Strategy should be fully aligned with the Union’s Industrial Strategy, as well as its climate and environmental objectives, in particular that of achieving climate neutrality by 2050 at the latest and of halting and reversing biodiversity loss;
Amendment 68 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 b (new)
Paragraph 3 b (new)
3 b. Underlines that the actions taken under the EU Textiles Strategy should greatly focus on the invention of new business models as the major mean to ensure continued European international competitiveness, e.g. by putting an emphasis on digital innovations and new types of fibres, rather than simply making the current business models of the European industry more sustainable, which is limited by the laws of thermodynamics; is convinced that the nature and function of apparel will fundamentally change in the upcoming years, turning from public image to become a more integral part of the life of citizens, e.g. by providing information to consumers on various aspects, e.g. the health status;
Amendment 70 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Calls on the Commission to identify and monitor the policies affecting the textile industry to ensure transparency, coherence and after implementation to assess the impact of the policies on the textile industries’ combined impact on climate, environment, health and social aspects. Stresses the need to secure policy coherence among the policy measures identified in the EU Strategy and the need to ensure harmonisation at the EU level, including on data requirements and methodologies to calculate the environmental and carbon footprint of products;
Amendment 72 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Acknowledges the urgency of ensuring that textile products placed on the EU market are long-lived, reusable and recyclable, and free of hazardous substances; expresshave a long serviceable lifetime, are reusable, recyclable, repairable and free of hazardous substances and prioritise the use of renewable raw materials; acknowledges with the current technologies producers are often faced with trade-offs to achieve the desired attributes in one product; calls for the Commission alongside Member States, industry and research institutions to continue, encourage and fund research into the trade-offs inherent in making textile products that have a long serviceable lifetime, and are reusable, recyclable, repairable and free of hazardous substances and prioritise the use of renewable raw materials; notes its concern that the measures identified in the EU Strategy might not be sufficient to fulfil the 2030 objective and calls on the Commission to ensure all necessary measures, including additional measures to those identified in the strategy, are taken to achieve the 2030 vision;
Amendment 74 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Welcomes the proposal for an ecodesign regulation covering textiles, the review of the Textile Labelling Regulation3 and the potential introduction of a mandatory disclosure of information; underlines that any potential introduction should commence with the largest companies within the Union; calls for thea phased inclusion of social and labour standards in both the proposed ecodesign regulation and under labelling requirements; _________________ 3 Regulation (EU) No 1007/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 September 2011 on textile fibre names and related labelling and marking of the fibre composition of textile products and repealing Council Directive 73/44/EEC and Directives 96/73/EC and 2008/121/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council. OJ L 272, 18.10.2011, p. 1.
Amendment 77 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 c (new)
Paragraph 3 c (new)
3 c. Calls on the Commission to support the objective of the European Climate Law (2021/1119) by facilitating sector-specific climate dialogues and partnerships to increase sectoral engagement of the textiles industry in the transition to a circular economy;
Amendment 79 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Acknowledges that the EU Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles embraces the wider textile ecosystem and may have direct and indirect impacts on other materials used in garment and footwear; therefore, stresses the importance of clearly defining the scope of application of all pieces of legislation that will be adopted under the strategy, in order to ensure legal certainty and predictability for business operators in the Single Market, especially SMEs;
Amendment 79 #
Draft opinion
Subheading 1 b (new)
Subheading 1 b (new)
Transition Pathway
Amendment 80 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 c (new)
Paragraph 3 c (new)
3 c. Recognizes the transition pathway as an important step to transform the textiles ecosystem in Europe; regrets the Commission has taken almost two years after the update of the EU´s industrial strategy to build a textiles ecosystem transition pathway; stresses that a quick finalisation and implementation of the support actions for businesses is of utmost importance to enable the sustainable transition; stresses that actions taken in accordance with the transition pathway should be fully aligned with the EU Industrial Strategy, the legislative activities envisaged in the EU Textiles Strategy, the goals of open strategic autonomy and objectives of the European Green Deal;
Amendment 81 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Stresses the need to support SME´s in the textile industry in moving away from linear business models and unsustainable practices with respect to both climate, environment, health and social issues; calls on the Commission and the Member States to create a predictable, harmonised, relevant and seamless legal framework, which should be implemented with attention ensuring sufficient implementation time; notes the need for the Commission and Member States to facilitate access to skilled workers with relevant circular competences; calls on the Commission in collaboration with Member States and stakeholders to share best practices examples of circular economy business models in the textile industry, draw on the experience in from European Stakeholder Platform for Circular Economy;
Amendment 81 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 d (new)
Paragraph 3 d (new)
3 d. Acknowledges the energy-intense nature of the textiles production and the challenges European companies face due to the ongoing energy crisis and soaring energy prices; welcomes national and EU support measures to bring down energy prices to an internationally competitive level, and to thereby maintain and develop production capacities in Europe, keeping Europe´s companies in business without disturbing decarbonisation incentives for them; underlines in this regard the need for energy efficiency to be promoted throughout the textile value chain as a measure to lower energy consumption;
Amendment 84 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 b (new)
Paragraph 2 b (new)
2b. Highlights the need to ensure coherence with the green and digital twin transition and exploit the synergies with the EU’s Industrial Strategy to ensure the transition to sustainable and circular business models, while strengthening the competitiveness and resilience of EU textile ecosystems.
Amendment 85 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 e (new)
Paragraph 3 e (new)
3 e. Underlines the need to reduce the carbon footprint of the sector, largely by investments into greenhouse gas reduction technologies and research therein; strongly believes that the question of worldwide water usage in the production of textiles, mainly by growing cotton, has to be addressed immediately by an increased effort for research and innovation, in particular for new forms of fibres that demand less water, as well as for the promotion of water efficiency in textile production; stresses in this regard the need for all types of fibre production to implement innovative solutions enabling a circular management and reuse of water;
Amendment 86 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 – subparagraph 1 (new)
Paragraph 5 – subparagraph 1 (new)
Calls on the Commission and the Member States to develop programmes to promote women entrepreneurship in the textile and garment industries, focusing on all aspects related to such industries, including the training, reskilling and upskilling of women of all ages involved;
Amendment 89 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5 a. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to protect and promote traditional expertise in the textile and garment sector, of which women are often custodians;
Amendment 89 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Calls on the Commission and in collaboration withe Member States and in consultation with stakeholders to develop a definition of Fast Fashion that ultimately allows through measurable and verifiable components to adopt measures to put an end to fast fashion; underlines the need to achieve a paradigm shift in the fashion industry to end overproduction and to make fast fashion go out of fashion;
Amendment 90 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 b (new)
Paragraph 5 b (new)
5 b. Stresses the importance of safeguarding and preserving traditional craftsmanship, the most tangible manifestation of intangible cultural heritage, as well as establishing a gender lens to the historic role played by women in creating, maintaining and enhancing high-quality workmanship;
Amendment 90 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 f (new)
Paragraph 3 f (new)
3 f. Welcomes the envisaged revision of the Textiles Labelling Regulation, which should harmonise all content for mandatory labels of textile products across the EU; highlights that all rules on labelling of textile products, both on physical and digital label and on all labelling domains, including for sustainability and circularity, are introduced with a view to ensure legal clarity, lower compliance costs for companies, in particular SMEs, and that information is easily accessible, readable and comparable to consumers and relevant businesses; stresses the need to ensure that labelling schemes are designed in a way that is meaningful for consumers with respect to understanding sustainability and circularity of a products and is developed using an evidence-based approach, to ensure measurable positive impacts; calls on the Commission to further clarify and ease the classification process to apply for new fibre composition names for novel and distinctive materials;
Amendment 91 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 c (new)
Paragraph 5 c (new)
5 c. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to ensure that EU and national policies and initiatives are backed by sufficient funding and to ensure reasonably easy access to credit for women; calls additionally on the Commission and the Member States to foster a hospitable environment for the creation, promotion and development of women-driven artisanal activities;
Amendment 92 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 d (new)
Paragraph 5 d (new)
5 d. Urges the Member States to employ existing funds to ensure financial instruments, skills and performance output through education, training and advisory services, as well as increased participation in local action groups to better guarantee the participation of women in entrepreneurship in the textiles and garment industry;
Amendment 93 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 e (new)
Paragraph 5 e (new)
5 e. Calls on the Commission and Member states to promote and encourage the exchange of knowledge and best practices between women entrepreneurs regarding the circularity and sustainability in the textile sector;
Amendment 94 #
5 f. Notes that sustainability and circularity should have a transversal character and should be mainstreamed into the various sectors of the industry; stresses that sustainability and circularity in the textile industry should imply capacity to make use of by-products coming from different sectors and industries that will be beneficial to women and girls;
Amendment 94 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 f (new)
Paragraph 3 f (new)
3 f. Recalls that the transition to a circular economy of the textiles ecosystem also presents a significant potential for the creation of new green jobs with the upskilling and reskilling of the existing labour force; urges the Commission and Member States to facilitate access to innovative education curricula for the development of relevant skills, particularly due to the necessary digital transition of the industry, which creates job opportunities but also demands highly skilled workers; further calls on the Commission and Member States to direct great attention to the merger of artistic and technological training for workers in the textiles ecosystem, harnessing synergies between creative and technological skills, to continuously promote the mobility of skilled labour across Europe and to preserve the European cultural heritage of textiles crafting skills;
Amendment 95 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 g (new)
Paragraph 5 g (new)
5 g. Regrets that textile contact dermatitis is more common in women than in men, as the fashion created for women is notably tighter fitting and more colourful; reiterates that the risk of developing textile contact dermatitis is exacerbated by poor working conditions such as hot and humid enclosed spaces and represents a significant problem for workers within the industry; notes that the development of sustainable and circular products should take into account risks related to the health of those involved both in the production and the wearing of the final products;
Amendment 95 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 g (new)
Paragraph 3 g (new)
3 g. Recalls the obligation for Member States to have separate collection infrastructure for textiles as of 1 January 2025; underlines the urgent need for funding and innovation support for the industry to be ready to make use of the collected waste by ways of recycling, reusing or repairing and to ensure an environmentally sound management of the collected textiles; encourages the Commission to monitor Member States that have implemented separate collection before 1st of January 2025 to gather best practices and identify possible issues related to harmonisation of sorting and collection practices at EU-level; calls on the Commission and Member States to consider textile waste as raw material, when having undergone a sufficient recovery operation, for the production of textiles;
Amendment 96 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 h (new)
Paragraph 5 h (new)
5 h. Welcomes the fact that there are successful examples of women in the textile industries creating a commercially viable product from by-products or waste products deriving from the food sector industries or other industries;
Amendment 97 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 i (new)
Paragraph 5 i (new)
5 i. Urges the Commission and Member states to develop strategies to ensure the commercial viability of eco- friendly products for women and girls; highlights the need for an overarching objective to reduce the cost of high- quality, durable and sustainable clothing and footwear so as to no longer be in a situation where bad quality and polluting clothing from third countries is the most viable, affordable option for women from disadvantaged economic backgrounds;
Amendment 98 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 j (new)
Paragraph 5 j (new)
5 j. Recalls that in the textile industry nearly 75% of women are medium to highly educated; to that end, regrets that only 38% of women hold senior officials and managers positions within the textile industry;
Amendment 99 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Stresses the need to support consumers in moving away from fast fashion and the excessive consumption of clothing and in making responsible and sustainable textile consumption choices; calls on the Commission and the Member States to develop and implement awareness-raising programmes on sustainable consumption and the environmental and climate impacts of the textile and clothing industry, in collab, in collaboration with relevant civil society, researchers and industry stakeholders; the campaigns and programmes should be based on state of the art evidence and research on how to ethically change consumer behaviour; calls on the Commission to put in place measures to enhance the flow and access to sustainability information with civil society;along textiles’ supply chains to empower consumers’ choices, allow for textiles' circularity and create a level-playing field for sustainable companies.
Amendment 100 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 l (new)
Paragraph 5 l (new)
Amendment 101 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 m (new)
Paragraph 5 m (new)
5 m. Calls on the Commission to effectively communicate and promote through online platforms the significance of small, sustainable female-run textile- SMEs across the EU, giving them greater visibility and encouraging greater awareness of women’s eco-friendly entrepreneurship;
Amendment 102 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 n (new)
Paragraph 5 n (new)
5 n. recalls that one of the aims of the ‘EU strategy for textiles initiative’ is to set in place a comprehensive framework to create conditions and incentives to boost the competitiveness, sustainability and resilience of the EU textile sector; urges the Commission to ensure that this aim takes into consideration the pivotal role of women within the industry;
Amendment 103 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 o (new)
Paragraph 5 o (new)
5 o. Calls on Member States to promote STEAM learning to better ensure that women play a key role in all aspects of the textile industry, including the use of high- tech machinery often required during various manufacturing procedures and thereby serving to underline the link between women, technology and textiles;
Amendment 104 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 p (new)
Paragraph 5 p (new)
5 p. Calls on Member States to promote the economic independence of women seniors and recognise this as being another pivotal challenge for the coming years;
Amendment 114 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Draws attention to the fact that imports of non-compliant products sold through online platforms and other digital services are widespread, and calls on those service providers to ensure that the textile products they sell comply with EU law; Urges the Commission to ensure a clear framework on the question of liability in EU legislation and to ensure that online platforms and digital services cannot facilitate the import of non-compliant textile products to the internal market.
Amendment 121 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Recalls that several EU funding opportunities exist, such as via Cluster 2 of Horizon Europe or the European Innovation Council; calls for the creation of an EU research and innovation agenda aligned with the transition pathway for the textiles ecosystem; emphasizes that the EU research and innovation agenda has to address the whole value chain of circularity in the textiles ecosystem; underlines the leading role the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KICs) on Culture & Creativity3 and Manufacturing4 should play in this process. _________________ 3 https://eit.europa.eu/eit-community/eit- culture-creativity. 4 https://www.eitmanufacturing.eu/.
Amendment 123 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5 a. Highlights the importance of research and innovation in bio-solutions to be used throughout the textile value chain, such as finishing, polishing in the production of textiles and preparing them for reuse, to reduce the use of water and harmful chemicals as well as preserve fibres when washing; stresses that the uptake of bio-solutions relies on a legislative framework which distinguishes between chemical and bio-based solutions in i.a. approval procedures.
Amendment 128 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5 a. Stresses that the upcoming Horizon Europe work programmes should reflect the goals of circularity and sustainability as set out in the EU Textiles Strategy and in the corresponding EU research and innovation agenda for textiles; furthermore points out that related calls should be based on a structural engagement of stakeholders of the whole ecosystem.
Amendment 131 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 b (new)
Paragraph 5 b (new)
5 b. Highlights the business opportunities associated with investments in R&D of synergies in the textile sector with the tech and health care sector to incorporate technology or use new fibres which may help improve the health and well-being of consumers; Supporting the ambition of strengthening and further develop the position of EU´s life science industry as a global frontrunner.
Amendment 132 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 c (new)
Paragraph 5 c (new)
5 c. Stresses the need for direct funds on both EU and national levels for research, innovation and the scale-up of infrastructure for high-quality manual and automatic composition sorting of textiles to minimize waste, optimize recyclability and increase reusability; recalls that shipments of waste are essential for the re-looping of secondary raw materials in the economy; underlines the importance of harmonised end-of- waste criteria and waste definition for textiles.
Amendment 134 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 d (new)
Paragraph 5 d (new)
5 d. Underlines the importance of recycling for circularity and reduction of waste and as a source of raw materials for the textile production in Europe; highlights the need to create strong incentives for recycling that trigger the demand-side and create a stable and open market for recyclers; recalls that for creating European recycling industry, collection, sorting, waste treatment and shipment requirements across the whole value-chain need to be aligned with necessary investments efforts; calls for Member States to increase their investments in recycling technologies, including the scale-up of existing recycling plants, in particular in mechanical and chemical recycling technologies that allow the separation and recycling of mixed materials; therefore calls to orientate European funding towards development of market-ready technologies for recycling.
Amendment 136 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 e (new)
Paragraph 5 e (new)
5 e. Underlines business opportunities for reuse and repair and its contribution to a more sustainable and circular textiles ecosystem; stresses that innovation and scale-up investments for these business models should be a part of the EU research and innovation agenda.
Amendment 138 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 f (new)
Paragraph 5 f (new)
5 f. Calls for the development of 'European Textile Hubs', that connect innovative research centres with collection, sorting, recycling and disposal plants, turning waste into value and creating new jobs in textile manufacturing hubs; stresses the need for direct substantial funding for innovation actions for the scale-up of demonstrators across the EU.
Amendment 139 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Stresses that textiles are the fourth biggest contributor to climate change from an EU consumption perspective, and that the industry’s emissions are only expected to increase9 ; calls for further legislation to fully decarbonise the industry, starting with a common definition and categorisation of textiles, more transparency on scope 3 emissions in textile supply chains and the consideration of phasing in requirements for SMEs; calls for ambitious science- based targets to be set by 2024in consultation with stakeholders for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in the textiles sector, based on a common definition and categorisation of textiles at the EU level, covering their entire lifecycle, in line with the Paris Agreement goal of keeping global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial temperatures; recalls that around 70 % of the emissions related to the Union’s textile consumption take place outside of the EU10 ; calls for more robust information and disclosure on the impacts on biodiversityand calls on the Commission, the EEAS and EU Member States to provide relevant and cost effective support to third countries and suppliers in those countries to decarbonise textile supply chains; calls for more robust information and disclosure on the impacts on biodiversity; calls for the development at European level of 'Textile Hubs', i.e. innovative research centres and disposal plants, for the sorting and recovery of pre- and post-consumer waste, turning waste into value and creating new jobs in textile manufacturing districts; __________________ 9 https://ec.europa.eu/environment/circular- economy/pdf/new_circular_economy_actio n_plan.pdf 10 https://www.eea.europa.eu/publications/tex tiles-in-europes-circular-economy
Amendment 140 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 g (new)
Paragraph 5 g (new)
5 g. Takes note of the physical boundaries to recyclability and circularity of current existing fibres due to the laws of thermodynamics; therefore stresses the ambition to shift away from the classic textiles industry dominated by cotton and petroleum-based fabrics, calls on the Commission alongside Member States, industry and research institutions to continue, encourage and fund research into the inherent tradeoffs between making textile products more durable and reusable, recyclable, repairable and free of hazardous substances.
Amendment 142 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 h (new)
Paragraph 5 h (new)
5 h. Stresses the need to look beyond the currently existing fibres and textiles to increase research and innovation related to inventing new raw materials in order to increase recyclability, overcome the limitations of the laws of thermodynamics, diminish the carbon footprint of textiles production and to reduce the dependency on land, water and oil for the textiles ecosystem; is convinced that new types of fibres and textiles combined with digital solutions will be able to improve citizen´s lives, e.g. by providing health information to the user of the product.
Amendment 144 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 i (new)
Paragraph 5 i (new)
5 i. Highlights the fact that man-made fibres, both bio-based and synthetic, are still essential in the manufacturing of technical textiles alongside many other textile categories, and therefore will continue to play a role in the ecosystem related to making products durable, sustainable and circular; highlights that research and innovation directed to man- made fibres is needed, including for the recycling of waste-to-fibre.
Amendment 147 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 j (new)
Paragraph 5 j (new)
5 j. Stresses the need to continuously support research and funding for handling microplastics pollution by synthetic textiles and microfibers shedding; calls on the Commission to address this issue in the envisage Commission’s proposal on measures to reduce the release of microplastics in the environment.
Amendment 149 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 k (new)
Paragraph 5 k (new)
5 k. Stresses the importance of research into the development of alternatives to the conventional use of chemicals, water reuse through the development of wastewater treatment technologies, and to reduce energy and water consumption in the production process.
Amendment 158 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Welcomes the fact that the strategy makes a link between fast fashion and the use of fossil fuel-based synthetic fibres, which in turn has major implications for microplastic pollution; highlights the fact that synthetic fibres are also essential in the manufacturing of technical textiles alongside many other textile categories and therefore will play a role in the innovation of the industry related to making products durable; points out that microplastics release climate pollutants such as methane and ethylene into the environment, contributing to climate change, and that microplastics undermine the resilience of the ocean and the environment in general; calls on the Commission to continue its support into research assessing the impact of microplastics and microfibers shedding in general;
Amendment 163 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Calls for the continued collection of data on how microfibres from the textile industry impacts health, environment and climate; urges the Commission to consult research institutions and stakeholders before setting of clear targets and measures to prevent and minimise the release of microplastics into the environment, covering both unintentional and intentional releases; considers that ecodesign requirements should favour fabrics that are proven to release less microplastics; calls also for the setting of requirements to reduce the amount of microplastics released during industrial wet processing and washing and drying by industry and consumers;
Amendment 174 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9a. Stresses the need for the Commission alongside Member States to develop policies supporting new circular business models;
Amendment 175 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 b (new)
Paragraph 9 b (new)
9b. Recalls that 20 % of global water pollution comes from dyeing and finishing textile products1a; calls for measures promoting water efficiency, circular management and reuse of water in the textile industry; stresses the need for more research into the development of alternatives to the conventional use of chemicals, water reuse through the development of wastewater treatment technologies, and to reduce energy and water consumption in the production process; __________________ 1a https://www.eea.europa.eu/publications/te xtiles-in-europes-circular-economy
Amendment 180 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Stresses the need to regulate all textile products under the Ecodesign Regulation, starting with garments and footwear as a priority; calls on the Commission to consider the difference in textile product categories when developing the delegated acts to ensure all stakeholders in the industry have clarity on how their product is regulated
Amendment 185 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10a. Calls for the Commission, Member States and industry stakeholders to shape their understanding and continue working on making textiles circular by design, taking note of the New European Bauhaus and the potential and need for an EU evidence-based design methodology across creative industries to boost valid and trustworthy innovation and understanding of the often complex nature of sustainability; highlights that an evidence-based design methodology should ensure that the production and waste management of textile products is based on scientific research in order to achieve a circular economy and improve health of consumers;
Amendment 191 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Stresses that ecodesign requirements should address the textiles sector comprehensively across product parameters; notes that measures such as improved resource efficiency are not sufficient as that these do not addressjust one element in the transition to a circular economy and the issue of overproduction and overconsumption of textiles;
Amendment 195 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Calls for the ecodesign requirements for textiles to set horizontal requirements swiftly, targeting a comprehensive group of products starting with garments and footwear, and later, when neededfrom the beginning of the implementation , to focus on differentiated requirements between different textile product groups; calls on ecodesign requirements to be published in a timely manner so the industry has time to become compliant; recognises that garment and footwear products not composed mainly of textile fibres shall be addressed through separate product groups, given the difference in their production process and consumer use, compared to textile products;
Amendment 202 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Considers that consumption of new textiles, such as clothes, depends largelyon many factors including on the availability of the products and their pricing, and not only on the need to replace a product that is no longer functional; calls for the policy framework to take a holistic view of durability, including both physical durability and the emotional durability of textile products put on the market, which describes elements such as the garment design that takes into account long-term relevance and desirability to consumers; , enduring style, adjustable fit, repairability, economic value, personal history that takes into account long-term relevance and desirability to consumers; acknowledges the difficulty of measuring emotional durability; encourages the Commission and Member States to make it a feature in its awareness raising campaigns and programmes aimed at both consumers and designers; encourages the Commission and Member States to develop tools for stronger investments of research into how emotional durability can be measured and further how it is tied to the health of consumers, especially mental health;
Amendment 213 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)
Paragraph 13 a (new)
13a. Welcomes the intention of the Commission to revise the Textile Labelling Regulation; calls on the Commission to further clarify and ease the classification process to apply for new fibre composition names for novel and distinctive materials;
Amendment 217 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 b (new)
Paragraph 13 b (new)
13b. Calls on the Commission to consider and present how the use of mandatory recycled fibre content requirements could be a tool in the policy framework promoting circularity in the textile sector;
Amendment 220 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 c (new)
Paragraph 13 c (new)
13c. Calls on the Commission to assess the impact of legacy chemicals in secondary raw materials based on sound scientific assessment and address it in alignment with the existing EU chemicals legislation;
Amendment 224 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 d (new)
Paragraph 13 d (new)
13d. Emphasises the role the digital product passport can play to enable greater circularity of textiles by making data more accessible and transparent along the supply chain down to the sorters and recyclers.
Amendment 225 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 e (new)
Paragraph 13 e (new)
13e. Call on the Commission, in collaboration with industry stakeholders and research institutions, to develop a life cycle assessment methodology applicable to the textile industry to ensure fair comparisons of textile products; the life cycle assessment as a principle is crucial to avoid unintentional environmental impacts and to incentivise the invention of new raw materials that can show a lower impact on the environment; stresses the need for a European standard on life cycle assessments and the need for better data infrastructures across supply chains to enable this;
Amendment 249 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Welcomes the intention of the Commission to set out harmonised EU rules on extended producer responsibility for textiles, with eco-modulation of fees as part of the revision of the Waste Framework Directive, and in particular that a significant proportion of the contributions made to extended producer responsibility schemes will be used for waste prevention and preparation for re-use measures; and recycling measures; calls on the Commission to ensure consistency between the eco-modulation of extended producer responsibility fees and ecodesign requirements;
Amendment 252 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
Paragraph 14 a (new)
14a. Recalls that the measures outlined in the EU Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles focus principally on the product and its design as well as end-of- life strategies; suggests that a more comprehensive EPR model which captures product lifetime and volume, together with the costs of reuse and recycling, can address overproduction, increase circularity and significantly reduce the environmental impacts of textiles; underlines that it is crucial that extended producer responsibility rules are effective and impactful from a sustainability and business perspective, and that rules are harmonised EU-wide;
Amendment 257 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Recalls that separate collection of textiles will be mandatory from 1 January 2025; and underlines the need to ensure an environmentally sound management of the collected textiles; encourages the Commission to monitor the Member States that have implemented separate collection before 1st of January 2025 to learn best practices and identify possible issues related to harmonisation of sorting and collection practices at EU-level; underlines that the revision of the Waste Framework Directive planned for 2024 should consider specific separate and phased targets for textile waste prevention, textile reuse, preparation for reuse, and recycling; as part of the Extended Producer Responsibility; stresses the need for reliable and standardized information that can be used to track progress and identify gaps in achieving the above targets and goals.
Amendment 266 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)
Paragraph 15 a (new)
15a. Stresses that reliable data and realistic benchmarks are needed in the establishment of the targets for textile waste prevention, collection, reuse, preparation for reuse, and recycling; underlines that clear and realistic targets and measures to implement and enforce a transparent treatment of waste textiles to enforce these targets are essential; highlights the need to create strong incentives for recycling that trigger the demand-side and create a stable and open market for recyclers; calls for a boost in sorting and recycling infrastructure through research and investments; recalls that shipments of waste are essential for the re-looping of secondary raw materials in the economy; underlines the importance of harmonised end-of-waste criteria and waste definition for textiles;
Amendment 270 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 b (new)
Paragraph 15 b (new)
15b. Takes note that across Europe, used clothing, footwear and other textile products are often discarded in the same container, due to e.g. waste infrastructure and consumer behaviour. Recalls that under the current legislative framework for shipments of waste, this constitutes a mixture of waste for which barriers to shipments are set up. Highlights that removing these barriers could facilitate the recycling of textile waste. Recalls the position of the European Parliament on the Regulation on Shipments of Waste (A9-0290/2022), which calls on the Commission to assess as a priority the possibility of considering mixtures of waste such as used footwear, clothing and other textile products as well as mattresses as ‘greenlisted’, thereby facilitating the shipments and recycling of this waste;
Amendment 278 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Agrees with the Commission that the production of clothing from recycled bottles is not consistent with the circular model for PET bottles and calls for extended producer responsibility schemesCalls for extended producer responsibility schemes for textiles and other ad hoc measures to incentivise research, innovation, investments in and other meas scale up of infrastructures for textiles to incentivise investment in fibre-to-fibre recycling solutionshigh- quality manual and automatic composition sorting, fibre-to-fibre recycling solutions that allow the separation and recycling of mixed materials and the decontamination of waste streams, and investments in sorting for reuse, ideally local;
Amendment 290 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Welcomes the initiative to empower consumers with regard to the green transition and the resulting EU rules that should ensure that consumers receive information at the point of sale on a commercial durability guarantee for textile products, as well as relevant information on their reparability; and their end-of life management and production year of the product;
Amendment 292 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Expresses its regret that the proposal on substantiating environmental claims using standard product and organisation environmental footprint methods has been delayed; calls on the Commission to publish the proposal without further delayupdate the product environmental footprint method (PEF) to make it fit for purpose in line with the European Commission’s Green Deal ambitions, prior to using it to substantiate green claims, as there are limitations with the current PEF methodology omitting or downplaying crucial product impacts and to develop a green claims and product environmental footprint category rules architecture that treats apparel and footwear products made from natural and man-made materials appropriately through consistent science based lifecycle comparisons;
Amendment 300 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Highlights the potential of the digital product passport to support full value chain coverage as part of a coherent framework withaligned with the legislation on corporate due diligence legislation on sustainability; calls on the Commission to require companies to use the digital product passport to disclose and submit in a transparent manner, site information throughout their supply chains, as well as information on the year of manufacture, use of materials and chemicals; calls for environmental information to be complemented by information on social aspects and labour and working conditions, which must by definition necessarily reach the end of life of the product and the waste managers to enable a circular treatment of waste textiles; asks that the Commission and Member States ensure that the information provided is relevant, accurate and up-to-date, and that the information can be easily accessible and usable for EPR, consumers and stakeholders along the supply chain; calls on the Commission in the implementation of this ambitious tool to introduce a phased approach where SMEs and especially micro-enterprises are given a longer implementation period and to support them to ensure full compliance with the regulation ; calls on the Commission to take note of the many ongoing studies and research projects related to the EU digital product passport and ensuring it is aligned with relevant legislation; calls on the Commission to establish clear and harmonized requirements for a EU digital product;
Amendment 312 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 a (new)
Paragraph 19 a (new)
19a. Emphasises the importance of the development of a EU digital product passport for textiles to provide clear, structured and accessible information on the sustainability characteristics of products to the business ecosystem of textiles; stresses the importance to differentiate between key and potential users of a digital product passport; stresses the prospective benefits in terms of transparency, supply chain accuracy, waste reduction and enabling potential for new business models based on reuse, second hand and re-sale;
Amendment 313 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 b (new)
Paragraph 19 b (new)
19b. Emphasises the need for accurate information on textile products’ material and chemical composition to ensure their correct sorting and recycling.
Amendment 315 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Underlines that an immediate ban on the destruction of unsold and returned textile goods should be enacted without delay under the Ecodesign Regulationwith significant negative environmental impact should be enacted under the Ecodesign Regulation; underlines that relevant exceptions should established to this ban, to accommodate e.g. the necessary destruction of harmful textile goods; underlines also that a sound definition of ‘destruction’ must be established to ensure legal clarity about options for managing unsold goods; considers that full disclosure of the numbers of textile products placed on the market every year and of unsold textile products is necessary;
Amendment 328 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Highlights that negative environmental impacts and social impacts in supplier countries cannot be avoided through due diligence legislation alone; calls on the Commission to provide additional support for local actors in partner countries and to take additional legislative measures to address these impacts in countries outside the EU; underlines the need to organise and implement a better and harmonised surveillance of the internal market to prevent the import of counterfeited and/or unsafe textile products in order to safeguard the consumers and the environment;
Amendment 338 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. RegretNotes that the strategy does not envisage any action against the harmful purchasing practices of companies; points outtakes note that according to the International Labour Organization, the current power imbalance between garment buyers and their suppliers causes overproduction and exploitation of workers in the industry11 ; considers that unfair purchasing practices such as last minute changes in design or lead times, unilateral amendments to contracts and last minute cancellation of orders should be banned for companies active in the single market through a revision of existing legislationwelcomes the potential for establishing new mutually beneficial trade agreements, and strengthening existing trade relationships, to support the creation of jobs and economic growth in both the EU and among trade partners; __________________ 11 https://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public /---ed_protect/---protrav/--- travail/documents/publication/wcms_5611 41.pdf
Amendment 340 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23
Paragraph 23
23. Underlines that the transition to a more sustainable and circular ecosystem within the textile industry offers the opportunity to improve the working conditions and remunerationcompetences of workers, who will play a central role in the transition; recalls that the transition to a circular economy of the textile industry also presents a significant potential for the creation of new green jobs with the upskilling and reskilling of the existing labour force; calls on the Commission and the Member States to ensure the provision of sectoral training and education in the field of sustainable textiles to safeguard current jobs, improve worker satisfaction and ensure the availability of a skilled workforce; encourages the Commission to consult relevant industry stakeholders, including suppliers and producers from outside the EU about which skills and competences are in demand;
Amendment 355 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 a (new)
Paragraph 24 a (new)
24a. Call on the Commission and Member States to step up the support for innovation in the textile industry related to inventing new raw materials to make clothing and textiles in general more circular and sustainable in the sense of climate and environmental impacts; moreover the technological innovation needed in the industry should look at how textiles can help to improve the health of consumers by providing information directly to the owner of a product;
Amendment 357 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 b (new)
Paragraph 24 b (new)
24b. Clothing especially represents a significant cultural value for all citizens of the Union, and the transition to a circular economy should recognize this, while redefining it through research and innovation.
Amendment 358 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 c (new)
Paragraph 24 c (new)
24c. Calls on the Commission in reference to the European Climate Law (2021/1119) to facilitate sector-specific climate dialogues and partnerships with textile stakeholders to encourage the drawing up of voluntary roadmaps; These roadmaps could be a helpful tool in planning investments in the sector and strengthen sectoral engagement in the transition to a circular economy;