Global Standard, the non profit that owns and operates the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS), has joined the “Make the Label Count” coalition of international natural fibre producers, manufacturers, brands, standards and environmental groups.
In its endeavour to prevent greenwashing and empower consumers to make informed decisions about the clothes and textiles they wear, Global Standard joined the coalition to help ensure that textile sustainability claims in the EU are credible and substantiated in a transparent and fair way.
A media statement said Global Standard will contribute its extensive expertise and leadership, while ensuring that voices from every segment of the value chain are heard.
Quoting Marie-Luise Pörtner, Global Regulations Specialist at Global Standard, the statement said: “GOTS, with more than 16,000 certified facilities, shows that businesses want to prove their sustainability efforts, and that people want to buy more environmentally friendly textiles, provided that the labels and claims are accurate and credible.
Advocating for PEF revision
“Consumers can trust the GOTS label because of robust, verifiable ecological and human rights criteria throughout the textile production value chain, a strong due diligence commitment and sustainability claims backed by independent third-party certification bodies.”
Launched in 2021, ‘Make the Label Count’ advocates for a revision of the Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) methodology for textiles which is currently being developed to assess a product’s environmental impact and provide consumers with information on that impact.
Although PEF has the potential to direct the textile sector towards a sustainable system of production and consumption, it still has significant limitations, such as different system boundaries for textiles made from natural and synthetic fibres, or the non-inclusion of microplastics and plastic waste. Its application thus risks legitimising unsustainable consumption with an EU-backed green claim, the statement added.
