Decathlon SA

A recurring theme at the 63rd Global Fibre Congress at Dornbirn from 11–13 September was recycling and the associated circular economy. It stressed on the urgent need for everyone in the value chain, from machine manufacturers to manufacturing and retail, to find a common denominator—the only way to provide the consumer with products which are sustainable and affordable.

The recent launches of so-called anti-elastane product lines by big brands do not mean much while they continue to gorge on fossil fuel derivatives. None of the new ranges replace existing product lines. texfash.com probes.

Jargon-laden and flowery sustainability reports by a majority of top brands and retailers would come across as a heap of gobbledygook if their actual performance is taken into account. Well, certainly for the cotton sector. As many as 89% are still non-transparent, unsustainable and show little progress towards improving labour conditions, says the 2023 Cotton Ranking just published by Solidaridad Europe and the Pesticide Action Network UK (PAN UK).

Clothing retail chain H&M and sporting goods retail chain Decathlon have made commitments to the Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) promising to adjust or no longer use sustainability claims on their clothes and/or websites. The two chains have committed to informing consumers more clearly in order to minimise the risk of misleading practices involving sustainability claims.