At European level, the creative industries are mobilising to tackle sustainability issues

The creative fashion industries are showing their unity and continuing to rally around the issues of sustainability and regulation. The European Fashion Alliance (EFA), which had already met in Brussels for a round-table discussion in June 2023, organised its first colloquium on Tuesday 5 March, again in the Belgian capital, to take stock of the sector’s progress in terms of ecological transition and regulation, in the presence of Iliana Ivanova, the European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth, and the highest European fashion authorities, among others.

It was an opportunity for the industry to reaffirm its unity through the EFA, an alliance founded in 2022, which set up a legal entity in Berlin at the beginning of the year, bringing together 28 members, 25 fashion federations, 10,000 SMEs and 11 Fashion Weeks. More than a hundred people attended the event, during which the EFA presented its first-ever “Status of European Fashion” survey, taking stock of the creative fashion industry in Europe.
 
Among the most striking results of this research carried out among players in the sector in Europe (brands and professionals) is the difficulty companies have in committing to the ecological transition, particularly SMEs (47% of which employ fewer than ten people), which account for more than 90% of the textile and clothing industry in Europe. While 88% of those surveyed said they had invested in sustainability in terms of human and financial resources, 59% said they had no tools or support for sustainable transition, and only 52% of those surveyed said they were familiar with the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Relugation (ESPR), which the European Parliament’s environment committee adopted earlier this year after it had been approved by the member states.

Involving SMEs

 
Among other things, it introduced a digital passport for a wide range of products, including clothing. It also stipulates a ban on destroying unsold new clothes, as well as a ban on recycling unsold items. “The major luxury groups are aware of changes in eco-design regulations. This is not the case for SMEs, who are not yet all involved. It’s also our role to inform them about these issues,” notes Elke Timmerman, in charge of international relations at the Flanders District of Creativity.
 
 “There is still a lot to be done, not least in terms of image. Indeed, 66% of those questioned think that the general public has a negative perception of fashion, because it is associated with the bad practices of fast fashion. We need to put things right and do a better job of explaining the real value of creative fashion,” she continues. “This survey is an initial basis, which will also help us to define our recommendations at European level. The important thing for us is that we are all aligned,” she concludes.
 
“The important thing is to put creativity at the centre. Our demands on eco-responsibility and traceability have been heard. But other points need to be refined, because they are too general to be applied as they stand in the fashion sector. Particularly with regard to circularity and recycling, because not all materials can be recycled in textiles. We are asking to be listened to,” explains Carlo Capasa, President of the Italian Chamber of Fashion (CNMI).
 
In particular, the EFA members want to make their voices heard at a time when the European Commission still has to adopt the delegated acts (i.e. the implementing decrees), which will specify for each sector how to put the new ESPR regulations into practice. “With this first study that we have just published, we have weighed up all the sustainable issues. For us, the aim is to speak with a single voice to preserve, build and promote the values of European creativity and know-how. In our case, the criteria ultimately adopted must reflect these values,” comments Pascal Morand, Executive Chairman of the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode.

“In our approach to sustainability, we have to think in terms of values, not volumes. There are cultural, intellectual, social, economic and environmental values. All of these have to be taken into account, and the process has to be integrated throughout the company,” sums up Guy Morgan, Chanel’s Director of Sustainable Development, who took part in one of the round-table discussions. This is not always easy, especially for smaller companies such as independent designers like Denmark’s Henrik Vibskov. “With all these new rules, we’re confused. We’d need a full-time person just to deal with this, which is impossible for small companies like mine,” he says.
 
Ruth Reichstein, policy coordinator in the office of the President of the European Commission, stresses “the crucial role of the creative sector and the importance of using it to promote the ecological transition,” while acknowledging that “greater coherence” is needed.
 
“Today, two players are engaged in this process of creating value: on the one hand, the European institutions with the Green Deal, and on the other, the creative industry with the efforts it is making towards sustainability. If both continue in this direction, the whole planet will benefit,” says Simone Cipriani, active within the United Nations Alliance for Sustainable Fashion and founder of the Ethical Fashion Initiative, recalling how “Europe is an oasis, where we are thinking about a future that is possible and dignified for all.”