Apparel and footwear industry proposes green recovery plan for Europe

The Policy Hub, a joint effort of the Sustainable Apparel Coalition, the Federation of the European Sporting Goods Industry and the Global Fashion Agenda have published a green recovery plan proposal for Europe.

The proposal presented to European authorities, which follows the European Commission’s recently issued recovery plan, outlines seven principles necessary for a green recovery for the industry.

“The Covid-19 pandemic has shaken the global economy. The apparel, textile and footwear industry is no exception. This crisis coincides with sustainability programs, commitments have increasingly become the industry norm and steps towards achieving a circular economy and carbon neutrality are taken,” said Baptiste Carriere-Pradal, chair of the Policy Hub, in a statement. “Shifting the economy to a more circular one requires all hands-on-deck and is a collaborative effort by citizens, the industry and policymakers who can build upon both existing commitments and new initiatives together.”

The seven principles are split into short-term measures and medium to long-term measures and are intended to result in economic recovery and drive the development of a circular economy.

The short-term measures, which should be realized within the next 12 months, include the leveraging short-term government support to drive green engagement and commitments, the provision of tailored support for companies linked to the circular economy and the encouragement of a shift in demand towards greener choices and circularity.

Meanwhile, the medium to long-term measures should be implemented within five years and propose the supporting of innovative low-carbon activities to expedite the renewable energy market in europe, the acceleration of circularity by helping to scale up technologies and establishing infrastructure for recycling, the fostering of circular design and more sustainable material mixes and the incentivizing of increased transparency to speed up the transition towards circularity.

The green recovery plan proposal sprung from inputs and discussions with partners of the Policy Hub and its members, including more than 300 brands, retailers manufacturers and other stakeholders.

Amina Razvi, executive director of the Sustainable Apparel Coalition, added: “The seven key principles the Policy Hub has developed offer a strong foundation for the development of the EU green economic recovery plan. Based on industry expertise, these short and medium-term measures can effectively guide a robust legislative agenda that drives sustainable change.”

Photo Credit: Audiovisual Service Lukasz Kobus / Jennifer Jacquemart | European Union, 2019