The American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA), the International Apparel Federation (IAF), and 128 other organizations from across the world have issued a joint plea, presenting a letter to global, national, and municipal authorities. The collective group is lobbying for the modernization of domestic textile, garment, footwear, and associated accessory labelling regulations, as well as the promotion of more sustainable and economically feasible digital labels for labelling information.
This petition represents a coalition of fashion and sportswear industry titans, as well as stakeholders and industry innovators. The signatories include representatives from various materials such as leather, wool, and textiles, as well as individuals advocating for sustainability, circularity, and authenticity in the fashion business, according to an AAFA news statement.
According to industry estimates, these rules result in the manufacturing of roughly 5.7 million miles (or 9.2 million km) of label tape each year. This is enough to travel from Earth to the moon and back twelve times every year.
“Today’s consumers want more information with less waste.” If digital opportunities are unleashed, the possibilities are limitless. Purchasers will have access to more complete and accurate information about the fabrics, clothing, footwear, and associated accessories they are contemplating purchasing, such as material and origin information. It also reveals extra information about the garment’s lifetime, such as resale, repair, rental, upcycling, or recycling. “This is one tool for a more responsible and agile global industry,” AAFA President and CEO Steve Lamar stated.
“We need the Federal Trade Commission and sister agencies around the world to update their rules to allow businesses to meet labelling standards through digital means.”
“Moving to digital labels would significantly reduce labelling waste while also aiding in decarbonization efforts, resulting in the elimination of at least 343,000 MT of CO2e from industry supply chains.” “With increased demand from all stakeholders in the industry’s global value chain for greater traceability, transparency, and accountability, the time for supranational, national, and local authorities to act and update these outdated, inflexible, and complex labelling requirements and empower their consumers with more accessible information through greener e-labelling is now,” according to the letter.
“It is obvious that we must move forward with digital labelling for apparel and footwear.” The global environment requires it, the industry desires it, and consumers anticipate it. A hodgepodge of frequently archaic regulations from around the world is impeding the natural path to contemporary clothing and footwear labelling. “There is no alternative to full global industry collaboration and coordination to remove these roadblocks and accelerate digital labelling,” said IAF secretary general Matthijs Crietee.
