From the Sector

• GOTS Version 7.0 released
• GOTS certified entities grow by 8% and expand to 89 countries
• GOTS releases Due Diligence Handbook for certified entities
• Farm-Gin Registry implemented in India, creating a direct link and better evaluation of incoming data
• GOTS collaborates with European Space Agency and Marple for AI organic cotton project
• #Behindtheseams campaign reaches 21 million+ unique individuals

The Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS), managed by non-profit Global Standard, recognises 2023 as a year of significant milestones. From expansion of GOTS-certified facilities to the release of a new standard version, GOTS remained a beacon for businesses navigating changing legislation, social and environmental demands.

Coming out of one of the strongest years for GOTS, 2023 culminated with 25 GOTS-approved certification bodies reporting a noteworthy 14,676 certified facilities (an 8% growth from 2022) in 89 countries.

Ushering in GOTS Version 7.0
As of 1 March, facilities that become GOTS-certified will operate under the new GOTS Version 7.0, released in March 2023 with a one-year transition period. GOTS Version 7.0 and its accompanying Implementation Manual provides a comprehensive solution for companies who want to produce organic textiles and be supported to ensure compliance with environmental and human rights due diligence along the entire value chain, from field to finished product.

GOTS Version 7.0 also introduced a six-step due diligence process and handbook that equips GOTS-certified operations to proactively identify, assess and mitigate adverse impacts throughout their value chains.

Looking to the future
GOTS initiated in 2023 two major projects in India, the globe’s largest producer of organic cotton. The Farm-Gin Registry was introduced for the 2022-2023 harvest season, which acts as a link between farm and gin and is a tool to strengthen integrity by collecting organic raw seed cotton data producing farm or farm group.

GOTS, the European Space Agency (ESA) and software company Marple launched a new project that aims to show the potential for remote satellite monitoring of organic cotton cultivation systems. The project trained artificial intelligence (AI) to use ESA satellite data to detect cotton fields across India and automatically classify them according to their cultivation standard. By integrating standardised yield metrics, this innovative approach will enable GOTS to generate realistic estimates of organic cotton yields in specific areas. In addition, the project is expected to empower GOTS to recognise cotton fields that have not yet obtained organic certification but possess the potential for a transition to organic cultivation. The first results of the project will be announced in June.

Educating the consumer
GOTS, in its ongoing commitment to stakeholder education, orchestrated in November an immersive 360-degree awareness and educational campaign. Successfully engaging both consumers and industry professionals, the initiative shined a spotlight on GOTS-certified companies and their products, which empowered consumers to make more conscientious choices while shopping. With an impressive turnout of over 250 certified entities, the campaign made a significant global impact, reaching more than 21 million unique individuals worldwide.

Stahl has joined the Global Organization for PHA (GO!PHA), a non-profit platform that advocates and advances the use of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), a naturally occurring polymer that offers a lower-impact, bio-based alternative to traditional fossil-based plastic feedstocks.  

GO!PHA is a coalition of over 60 stakeholders ranging from producers and formulators to users as well as universities and research institutes. The members, all early adopters of PHAs, work together to increase understanding of this relatively new PHA technology and advance the science behind these renewable, compostable and biodegradable materials. As a member of the network, Stahl will have the opportunity to join forces with the wider PHA value chain to help move PHAs beyond the testing phase and accelerate the potential application of the technology in the coatings market. 

Global Fashion Agenda (GFA) has collaborated with PDS Ventures to launch a new Trailblazer Programme. The new initiative seeks to identify early-stage innovators and support them on their journey to scale.

As part of the Trailblazer Programme, PDS Ventures will award one innovator a significant investment of up to USD 200,000* to accelerate the company’s growth and positive impact in the fashion industry. The winner will also receive commercial and operational support from PDS Group’s Positive Materials - a textile company and strategic research partner supporting the development and acceleration of low impact textile innovation through collaboration between early-stage start-ups, supply chain partners and brands. Further scaling opportunities will be gained through access to PDS Limited’s extensive global supply chain.
 
GFA and PDS Ventures are presenting an open call for solution providers addressing different challenges across the fashion value chain to apply for the programme. Applicants will be reviewed and shortlisted by an esteemed Jury including representatives from GFA, PDS Ventures, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Ralph Lauren Corporation, Fashion For Good and H&M Group. Eight shortlisted innovations will be enrolled in a group of Trailblazers, receiving feedback and investment pitch training from industry experts and PDS representatives.     
 
Each shortlisted innovator will then pitch for a potential investment, with the winning Trailblazer being revealed at GFA’s Global Fashion Summit: Copenhagen Edition 2024 - an international forum for sustainability in fashion, on 22-23 May at the Copenhagen Concert Hall. All shortlisted Trailblazers will also have the opportunity to showcase their businesses within an exhibit at the Summit to connect with other key industry stakeholders and potential investors.
 
The Trailblazer Programme corresponds with the theme of the upcoming Global Fashion Summit - ‘Unlocking The Next Level’. Inspired by a significant milestone, 2024 marks 15 years since the inaugural Global Fashion Summit was hosted in 2009. This pivotal anniversary offers a special moment to not only take stock of the evolution of the sector and the progress made so far, but, most importantly, look ahead at what actions must urgently be implemented in the near term, and the gaps that must be filled to accelerate industry transformation.

Fibre Extrusion Technology Ltd (FET) of Leeds, UK has appointed Dr Kristoffer Kortsen as Senior Materials and Process Scientist. He will report directly to R&D Manager, Dr Jonny Hunter, who joined FET in early 2023 in a growing Research and Development team.

Kortsen’s main area of work is in Gel Spinning of UHMWPE (Ultra-High Molecular Weight Polyethylene). His contribution will help provide gel spinning expertise and equipment in the near future to a range of industries including medical, aerospace, defence aerospace and marine.

He completed a Master’s in chemistry at KU Leuven, graduating magna cum laude in 2018. For his Master’s placement, he worked on the production of impact modifier additives for PVC at Kaneka Belgium. Continuing a partnership with this international chemical manufacturing company, he joined the Howdle group at the University of Nottingham for a PhD project looking into the industrial potential of scCO₂ dispersion polymerisations for additive production. After graduating, he worked in the Shaver group at the University of Manchester, developing a holistic approach to plastics recycling and sustainability across the many stakeholders in the field.

“From Earth to Earth”: The new plan defines goals and concrete actions in Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) areas to foster value creation for all stakeholders and put new sustainability regulatory requirements at the centre of attention.

A project, designed to enhance RadiciGroup's transparency and commitment to develop a responsible business along its entire value chain from an economic, social and environmental perspective and focus on the ever more widespread and stringent sustainability regulatory requirements. These are the features and goals of the Sustainability Plan presented by the Group and called "From Earth to Earth", precisely to emphasize the intent to focus on the Earth and future generations.

In the context of a complex and constantly changing scenario, the Group has therefore decided to capitalize on the goals achieved and look beyond them with a plan defining the medium-term targets and the actions to be taken to fulfil them and covering all areas considered to be "material”, i.e., relevant from the point of view of ESG and financial risks, opportunities and impacts. Indeed, the ultimate goal of "From Earth to Earth" is to support business continuity and the growth of the company and all its stakeholders.

The project was the result of a multi-year collaboration with Deloitte, which contributed an external and objective viewpoint on the definition of the material targets and themes. However, it was not an armchair exercise, but the result of an extensive listening process involving internal and external stakeholders, all of whom were sustainability experts who helped define a shortlist of strategic themes for both the Group and its main stakeholders. These issues were then analysed in detail using working tables on the different themes to identify the objectives in Environmental, Social and Governance areas and the related concrete actions needed to achieve them, in line with the European decarbonization and energy transition policies and the
United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, a global blueprint for sustainable growth.

In particular, RadiciGroup’s environmental goals include: a 20% increase and differentiation in renewable source electricity consumption, an 80% reduction in total direct greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 compared to 2011, attention to water consumption to limit the impact on local communities and biodiversity, the extension of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology to measure the environmental impact of 70% of the products (in terms of weight) manufactured by the entire Group, collaboration among the various actors in the supply chain from an ecodesign perspective and the search for increasingly more sustainable and circular packaging solutions.

The fashion industry, which has strategic importance for the Turkish economy with its value-added production, employment, and exports, came together with representatives of global brands and Laison offices at the 'Green transformation' summit. At the meeting hosted by the Istanbul Apparel Exporters' Association (IHKIB), the studies carried out in the process of adaptation to the Green Deal were put under the spotlight, and the expectations of the Turkish fashion industry from the stakeholders were also expressed.

The opening of the meeting, attended by representatives of relevant ministries and foreign representations, national and international fund providers, as well as brands and buying groups were brought together, was made by Türkiye Exporters Assembly (TIM) and IHKIB President Mustafa Gültepe. In his speech, Gültepe underlined Türkiye's importance in the global apparel industry, by realizing approximately 3.5 percent of world apparel exports. Gültepe continued as follows:

"As IHKIB, we aim to increase our current annual exports, which are around $20 billion, to $40 billion. The road to the goal goes through Europe and America because the European Union is our largest market in apparel. We export 60 percent of our total apparel exports to EU countries. When we add other European countries and the USA, the ratio approaches 75 percent. While working on alternatives for the $40 billion in exports, we need to focus more on the European and U.S. markets because, as the data shows, the path to $40 billion in apparel exports goes through Europe and the U.S. We already have long-standing collaborations with brands centered in Europe and America. With our knowledge, speed, production quality, design power, and geographical proximity to Europe, we distinguish ourselves from competitors. We took a very important step in the transformation process exactly one year ago. We shared our action plan, which is a road map for our fashion industry's compliance with the Green Deal, with the public on January 30, 2023."

After Mustafa Gültepe's opening speech, Euratex Director General Dirk Vantyghem, Deputy Director General of the Ministry of Trade Bahar Güçlü, and Deputy Secretary General of ITKIB Özlem Güneş made presentations regarding the ongoing efforts in the Green Deal process.

Dirk Vantyghem discussed the sustainability strategy of the textile and apparel industry and the expectations from the EU administration, while Bahar Güçlü provided information about the reflections of legal regulations related to the Green Deal on Türkiye.

Deputy Secretary General of ITKIB Özlem Güneş emphasized the significant opportunity that the Green Deal represents for the Turkish apparel industry, providing comprehensive insights into the efforts conducted by IHKIB regarding the Green Deal adaptation process.

Refashion, a textile industry’s eco-organisation, has renewed its authority approval until 2028. 6 years during which it will continue to transform the industry in keeping with the objectives set by the French Ministry of Ecological Transition and the French Ministry of the Economy, including the objective to collect 60% of CHF (clothing, household linen and footwear textiles) placed on the market by 2028. This new period is reflected in an ambitious road map and significantly increased investment. Nearly 1.2 billion euros, financed by the marketers, will be spent on transforming the industry during this new period of authority approval.

Determined to achieve the objectives set out in the ambitious specifications set down by the Secretary of State at the Ministry of Ecological Transition, Berangère Couillard, Refashion has worked on a road map with all of its stakeholders involved in the transformation that is underway. Maud Hardy, nominated as the eco-organisation’s CEO in January 2022, started a collaborative working method that will continue throughout this new period to support areas that are key in this transformation. In the next few months, projects will begin and will visibly highlight the progress made in the three phases of a product’s life cycle: production consumption, regeneration.

Production

• Recognising eco-design initiatives through the eco-modulation of the fees paid by marketers (durability, environmental information labelling, integration of recycled materials). For marketers, these initiatives should represent the scheme’s cornerstone. The aim is to involve all stakeholders in reducing the environmental impact of products.

Consumption

• As from 2023, Refashion will spend 5 million euros minimum per year in awareness-raising activities and on information to the general public by supporting an array of local authority initiatives.
• The launch of a repair fund in 2023, in particular to prolong the usage of textiles and footwear products. More than 150 million euros will be invested between 2023 and 2028 to change the habits of the French population to increase repairs by 35% (guideline target by the ADEME 2019).

Regeneration

• Accelerating clothing, household linen and footwear collection, in particular thanks to an operational mix in the sector. Funding traditional sorting operators will remain central, but Refashion will also develop an additional operational system in order to achieve the collection target of 60% of products placed onto the market (versus 34% in 2021).
• 5% of fees paid to Refashion will go towards the redeployment/reuse funds to provide support for reuse within the remit of stakeholders in the Social and Solidarity Economy. In addition to this funding, additional funding arrangements open to all stakeholders will be established. The total budget throughout the authority approval period represents 135 million euros.
• 5% of fees, i.e., 58 million euros in 6 years, will be spent on R&D to help achieve these milestones in order to industrialise the recycling of used CHF: recyclability that is considered during the design stage; automated sorting and recycling.

Global Fashion Agenda (GFA) released the 2023 edition of The GFA Monitor — a report to guide fashion leaders towards a net-positive fashion industry. The second GFA Monitor has been updated to include the latest guidance and insights from over 25 industry organisations in one cohesive publication. For the first time, the report includes new data insights from the Fashion Industry Target Consultation - drawn from over 900 industry participants in 90 countries.

The GFA Monitor is an extensive resource that presents expert insights on the status of the industry, clear actions to take, and proven best practices. In a time of poly crisis when the implementation of sustainable practices is challenged, GFA is supporting the industry by consolidating an abundance of available solutions that can be applied today.  

The tool is grounded by the sustainability framework laid out in the Fashion CEO Agenda, featuring in-depth guidance according to the five sustainability priorities: Respectful and Secure Work Environments, Better Wage Systems, Circular Systems, Resource Stewardship, and Smart Materials Choices. Embracing additional expert knowledge from other industry organisations, each priority includes insights from GFA’s Impact Partners: Fair Labor Association, Social & Labor Convergence Program (SLCP), Ellen MacArthur Foundation, Apparel Impact Institute, and Textile Exchange, respectively.

The 2023 publication presents new findings from the Fashion Industry Target Consultation (FITC), launched by GFA and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in November 2022, which invited stakeholders from across the global value chain to share their thoughts on the performance indicators and milestones that the industry must strive to meet. The FITC indicates a very positive sentiment from participants, but action and positive impact from that action is yet to be measured. Overall, the data reveals that the majority of the 900 participants supported industry alignment on the 27 action areas proposed in the consultation and remarked that they are actively engaging with the industry to drive progress in the respective areas. The report further illuminates the level of industry ambitions per priority and the areas where more aligned action areas are needed.

Eastman Naia™ Renew cellulosic fiber received Global Recycled Standard (GRS) certification on December 13. This certifies Naia™ Renew recycled content, chain of custody, social and environmental practices, and chemical restrictions.

Textile Exchange, a global non-profit for sustainable change in the fashion and textile industry, manages the GRS certification process. Certification is achieved through an audit from independent third-party certifying body SCS Global Services and applies to the full supply chain and addresses traceability, environmental principles, social requirements, chemical content and labeling.

"We’re honored to add GRS certification to our list of Naia™ certifications that support our sustainability goals,” said Claudia de Witte, sustainability leader for Eastman textiles. “Third-party certifications help us build our brand trustworthiness. It’s our goal to make sustainable textiles available to all, and we do that by building trust with our customers and collaborators. This certification adds even more credibility to our fibers and our sustainability story, which we’re proud to share.”

In June 2023, Textile Exchange made an important announcement regarding its Alternative Volume Reconciliation (VR2) policy, which broadened the range of chemical recycling technologies eligible for mass balance. Notably, this expansion now encompasses gasification, the technical description of Eastman’s molecular recycling technology known as carbon renewal technology. Eastman collaborated with Textile Exchange and other stakeholders to educate the industry about the value and contribution of its molecular recycling technology. This policy update is critical for Eastman because it allows the company’s innovative material-to-material recycling technology to be audited for GRS certification.

Molecular recycling technologies at Eastman break waste down into its molecular building blocks allowing the materials to be used in new materials that are indistinguishable from non-recycled materials. By expanding the GRS to include gasification, the global standard now allows for a broader approach to making sustainable textiles accessible to everyone.

In recent years, the textiles industry has shifted toward circular materials to help tackle one of the largest challenges facing the planet: waste pollution, especially textile waste. Eastman molecular recycling is complementary to mechanical recycling and is a solution for hard-to-recycle waste material, including textiles, which are impacted by factors like fiber blends, chemicals and additives.

Naia™ Renew is produced from 60% sustainably sourced wood pulp and 40% GRS-certified* waste materials that would otherwise be destined for landfills through Eastman's patented molecular recycling technology. The certification verifies the processes of chemical recycling, concentrating, extrusion, and spinning of the undyed yarns and fibers.

Autoneum Holding Ltd has been awarded the gold medal in the 2023 EcoVadis sustainability rating, ranking the automotive supplier in the top 5% of companies assessed. Following a silver medal the previous year, the Company was able to further improve the overall rating of its sustainability performance in the four categories Environment, Labor and Human Rights, Ethics and Sustainable Procurement and achieved the second-highest recognition level.

As part of its commitment to transparency towards its stakeholders and the public at large, Autoneum reports regularly on its key developments and achievements in the area of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). In addition to reporting in line with the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) standards, Autoneum uses external platforms such as EcoVadis – a globally recognized sustainability rating agency – to assess the quality of its sustainability management system. EcoVadis uses 21 criteria based on international CSR standards to rate companies in four categories: Environment, Labor and Human Rights, Ethics and Sustainable Procurement. Since its foundation in 2007, EcoVadis has assessed the sustainability performance of more than 100 000 companies from 175 countries.

In the 2023 sustainability rating by EcoVadis, Autoneum achieved gold medal status for the first time, placing it in the top 5% of companies assessed. Having already been awarded the EcoVadis silver medal in 2022, Autoneum thus moved up to the second-highest recognition level in this year’s rating, thanks to significant progress in the Environment and Labor and Human Rights categories.

More information on Autoneum’s sustainable products and processes can be found in the current issue of the Corporate Responsibility Report.