The BioDesign Newsletter

Issue #009

Much has been said about policy and its impact on more sustainable practices in the last couple of weeks. The Global Fashion Summit called for leadership voices to be brought into the conversations, the EU adopted new Ecodesign regulation, and the World Economic Forum (WEF) released its insights on an impactful global plastics treaty. The common theme across all events highlighted that policy if positioned correctly, can not only shift the needle but catapult it towards industry change. 

Disappointment and Stagnation at Global Fashion Summit: 

Last week’s Global Fashion Summit was a three-day event curated around five sustainability priorities highlighted by the Global Fashion Agenda. However, 15 years after the first summit, the unofficial theme of this year’s fashion summit seemed to be an overshadowing sense of disappointment. The founder of the summit, Eva Kruse poignantly captured the sentiment with her candid statement: “It wasn’t the idea that we would still be talking about the same thing 15 years in. I’ll be brutally honest, I’m disappointed in all of us that we haven’t been able to push things forward”. 

Kruse’s words underscored a critical issue that the stagnation of progress is not due to the lack of effort amongst sustainability advocates but rather the absence of decisive action from key decision-makers outside the sustainability echo chamber. It is these influential voices that hold the ability to implement the circular business models that are essential for a sustainable fashion industry. To drive meaningful change, these stakeholders must be brought into the conversation and folds of sustainability initiatives. 

New EU Ecodesign Rules Ban Destruction of Unsold Textiles

On 27 May 2024, the European Council announced the approval of the new Ecodesign requirements for sustainable products. These new regulations will aim to: 

• Set environmental sustainability requirements for most goods within the EU market; 

• Introduce a digital product passport to track the environmental impact of products;

• Ban the destruction of unsold textiles and footwear 

These new regulations could be a catalyst for the change discussed at the Global Fashion Summit. Belgian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Economy and Employment Pierre-Yves Dermagne remarked, “With the ecodesign regulation we create the right incentives for the industry to think circular from the very design conception of the products they plan to produce and sell in the EU.” 

WEF Report: Standardised policies and financial incentives to propel global plastic treaty 

In response to the United Nations Environment Assembly to develop a binding agreement on tackling plastic pollution, the WEF released a report: Circular Industry Solutions for a Global Plastics Treaty. This report offers insights and case studies to create a comprehensive view of the steps stakeholders take and consider to create and adopt a global plastics treaty. 

For an effective plastics treaty, innovation is needed to replace the various forms of this ubiquitous material. The case studies highlighted the need for financing, demand and adoption for these innovations to mature. A clear call for policy to play a role in supporting these needs was raised, with emphasis on standardised definitions and harmonisation across markets. The report also points to the Extended Producer Responsibility scheme as a tool to mobilise financing, providing a financial incentive for producers alongside the regulatory stick approach of material bans. 

Perhaps the coming years of the Global Fashion Summit will be more optimistic, as policy increasingly compels decision-makers to come to the table and address the sustainability impact of their products.

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