Make the Label Count warns that an excessive focus on recycled content and recyclability could unintentionally favour synthetics over responsibly produced renewable fibres.
The Make the Label Count coalition has urged the European Commission to recognise sustainably sourced renewable materials in forthcoming ecodesign requirements for textile apparel. In a June 29 letter, the coalition supported a similar appeal from 15 members of the European Parliament’s Sustainable Textiles Working Group and called for a criteria-based assessment rather than a fixed hierarchy of preferred materials.
MTLC represents more than 80 natural-fibre producers, manufacturers, brands and non-governmental organisations. It argues that evaluating textiles mainly through recyclability, recycled content or limited lifecycle indicators could give fossil-based synthetic fibres an unintended regulatory advantage.
Beyond recycled content
The coalition supports recycling but says recyclability should not be treated as a proxy for overall sustainability. Actual outcomes also depend on collection infrastructure, contamination, fibre-quality losses, processing energy and whether recycling routes operate commercially at scale.
MTLC wants renewable materials assessed against transparent criteria including agricultural practices, land management, biodiversity, greenhouse-gas reduction, water stewardship and support for rural livelihoods. It also calls for comparable feedstock-origin and sourcing disclosures for fossil-based fibres rather than imposing substantially greater traceability demands only on agricultural materials.
The proposal is an advocacy position from a coalition with substantial natural-fibre representation, not a settled scientific conclusion. Its central regulatory question is nevertheless important: environmental comparisons need consistent system boundaries and evidence capable of capturing both negative impacts and verified benefits across all fibre categories.
Rules remain under development
The EU’s Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation provides the framework for product-specific performance and information requirements, while apparel is a priority under the Commission’s 2025–2030 working plan. The Joint Research Centre’s preparatory study will inform decisions on textile durability, recyclability, recycled content, environmental information and Digital Product Passport data.
No final textile ecodesign requirements have yet been adopted. Under the ESPR, delegated acts will normally provide businesses with at least 18 months before their requirements apply.
For mills and exporters, the practical response is to strengthen evidence covering fibre origin, farming or feedstock practices, chemical inputs, product durability, microfibre release and realistic end-of-life routes. The decisive issue will be whether the final EU methodology rewards verified performance rather than favouring any fibre merely because it is natural, synthetic, virgin or recycled.
