Updates

Fashion for Good has launched Project FAE (Feedstock Activation Europe), a new initiative to build the sorting and pre-processing infrastructure needed to channel non-rewearable post-consumer textiles into textile-to-textile recycling across Europe. Backed by Adidas, Bestseller and Inditex, the project addresses the feedstock supply gap that continues to prevent post-consumer waste from becoming a viable raw material for recyclers.

Environmental permitting systems across ten major textile-producing nations contain significant gaps in how industrial pollution from spinning mills, dye houses and garment factories is regulated, a new UNEP report has found. Most national legislation fails to classify textile activities as environmentally significant or to consider gendered impacts on workers.

Organic cotton grown by smallholders in Tanzania under the Cotton made in Africa Organic standard has recorded one of the lowest environmental footprints in global cotton production, new research has confirmed. The findings, drawn from a comprehensive lifecycle analysis, showed that the absence of synthetic pesticides, artificial fertilisers, and irrigation kept emissions well below industry norms.

Cotton's farm-level production standard has been strengthened with a sharper regenerative agriculture focus, following BCI's release of Principles and Criteria v.3.2. The updated standard introduces targeted improvements to selected indicators, enhances auditability across diverse growing contexts, and advances BCI's broader ambition to operate as a fully regenerative standards system.

Climate resilience, productivity and workplace safety are being advanced across Ethiopia's leather, textile and garment sector through a new ILO-Japan joint initiative. The one-year programme targets 40 factories across five cities, integrating Japanese expertise, digitalised safety tools and a women's leadership development programme to drive sustainable and inclusive industrial growth.

A new industry demonstrator has set out to implement and scale the mass balance attribution chain-of-custody model for biomass-attributed PET in textile applications. The initiative, led by Fashion for Good, unites nine partners to produce biomass-attributed materials, quantify their climate impact, and develop a practical blueprint for decarbonising apparel supply chains.

H&M Foundation has launched an open-access workshop toolkit enabling brands, suppliers, policymakers and investors to apply its System Map across the textiles industry. Developed with Accenture, the toolkit identifies leverage points to halve greenhouse gas emissions every decade until 2050, while supporting a just transition that avoids shifting costs onto the most vulnerable.

Lead has been found in fast-fashion children's clothing at levels exceeding US federal safety limits, according to preliminary research presented at the American Chemical Society's spring meeting. All 11 shirts tested surpassed the 100 parts-per-million regulatory threshold, with brightly coloured garments recording the highest concentrations and simulated digestion tests indicating harmful exposure risks for young children.

ITMA 2027 is positioning itself as a central platform for shaping the next phase of textile and garment manufacturing, bringing together global stakeholders to align technology, sustainability and collaboration. Scheduled in Hanover, the event is set to expand its scope, scale and innovation focus as the industry moves towards an Industry 5.0 framework.

Spain’s footwear and fashion sector organisations have issued a joint declaration warning against the spread of ultra fast-fashion across Europe. Signed at the Futurmoda fair, the statement highlights environmental damage, competitive distortions and social impacts, while urging Spanish and European authorities to tighten regulatory oversight and support domestic industry resilience.