European Green Deal. What is it and how is the fashion industry being affected?

The European Commission's commitment to climate change is unquestionable, being one of the involved public authorities to face this global crisis. There are several community regulations and agreements which focus on planning how its member states must act to reduce the continent's environmental footprint, influencing other countries and organisations all around the world. The European Green Deal was born out of the planet’s requirement to protect the environment and promote other ways of coexisting as the circular economy.

European Green Deal motivations

What is the European Green Deal?

The European Green Deal is a European Commission agreement signed by the EU’s member states in December 2019, which seeks to bring new economic opportunities and promote technological development while transitioning to climate neutrality for 2050. This agreement’s objectives are: 

• Reducing greenhouse gas emissions by, at least, 55% below 1990 and 100% reduction by 2050.
• Increasing the weight of renewable energy to 40% of the total energy consumption by 2030.
• Transition to a green and circular European economy.

The European Green Deal is an ambitious challenge that should be at the heart of the European Commission’s policies and every single member state's regulations, to achieve a prosperous future landscape while reducing the continent’s environmental impact. 

European Green Deal initiatives

To achieve the agreement goals, the EU has defined different initiatives which rule European policies for the years to come included in the EGD, which are:

• European Climate Law: Setting binding targets for reducing emissions.
• European Green Deal Investments Plan: Mobilising €1 trillion in sustainable investments.
• Circular Economy Action Plan: Aiming to reduce waste and promote reuse and recycling.
• Biodiversity Strategy: Aiming to protect Europe’s biodiversity and ecosystems.

These regulations are going to guide the European next steps with circularity, economy, sustainability, and social development, promoting sustainable solutions while innovation and growth, such as new green materials and energy development, waste reduction solutions, or ecosystem protection, among others.

The Textile Industry and the EGD

The European Union defined the EU Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles, under the European Green Deal’s Circular Economy Action Plan motivations, to transform this industry and make it accomplish the agreement’s goals. The motivations for it are:

• Adapting the requirements of the EGD and defining the next steps for the textile industry itself.
• Reduce textile waste by 50% in 2030.
• Eliminate dangerous chemicals in the textiles’ supply chain.
• Increasing reused and recycled garments by 50% in 2030.
• Guarantee a sustainable textile production that respects human rights.

The textile industry requires a substantial change, as it is one of the most polluting industries in the world, so the strategy covers different aspects such as the promotion of circular solutions, controlling traceability of the materials, or banning damaging practices. This mix will reduce textile waste production and avoid emissions and hazardous substances into the environment at the same time that the industry creates new job positions. Circularity creates new opportunities and solutions, such as deadstock marketplaces that help other brands to comply with the current and next textile regulations.

EU Circular Fashion Strategy Takeaways

1. Textile Waste Reduction: Reusing and recycling textile materials to reduce the industry’s waste production
2. Increase garments’ durability: Designing and creating garments that last longer, promoting sustainable materials in the production process, and their repairability of under the Ecodesign Sustainable Products Regulation.
3. Supply chain transparency: Fashion brands and textile producers must provide information about the whole of a product’s lifecycle and social/environmental impact.
4. Promoting innovation: Boost companies that bet on circular fashion that offers more sustainable products, processes, and other circular solutions.
5. Consumer education: Communication and promotion to encourage consumers’ purchase decisions to foster sustainable options.

Conclusions

The European Union state members joined forces to fight against climate change and compromised themself to reduce their environmental footprint. This governmental agreement motivates the European Green Deal, a group of policies that fix the European future development strategy by setting limits and creating a regulation to drive the European society through a circular economy, reducing the European environmental footprint.

This deal shows how important and real climate change and global warming are, forcing Brussels to act and create a roadmap, influencing their own member states to change their habits and educate their citizens.