7th-11th July 2025
Ecotextile News
The purpose-led multimedia news platform for sustainability in the global fashion and textile industry.
Welcome back to another Ecotextile News Weekly Briefing- we’re here to give you a speedy rundown of the past week in the fashion, textile and sustainability industry👇🏼
Monday
📍We started the week with an opinion piece by our contributor Simon Ferrigno who asks “Environmentalism was recently fingered, alongside prices, synthetic fibres and consumer trends for cotton’s declining share of the textiles industry. Is that deserved?”
📍We also released a viral story which looks at Inditex 's new environmental criteria for their suppliers. It is said to tighten up new criteria for chemical management, water use, and gives more clarity over supply chain decarbonisation.
The Spanish-based clothing retailer states that for textile wet processing, 70% of all chemicals used in a supplier’s inventory must be compliant to ZDHC level 3 criteria. while for water repellent formulations, it goes further, saying that 100% of chemicals in a supplier’s inventory must be compliant with ZDHC level 3 in a bid to prevent risks associated with PFAS.
Tuesday
📍On Tuesday, we brought attention to the issue that almost half of Cambodia’s garment and footwear factories anticipate difficulties in sustaining current operations beyond three months with current order levels amid the ongoing tariff uncertainty, a new report suggests.
📍We also reported that the European Commission has published a draft regulation detailing the circumstances in which businesses will be allowed to destroy unsold consumer products.
The proposed regulation, now out for further consultation, would supplement the landmark Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) which came into force in July 2024.
Wednesday
📍On Wednesday, we highlighted a new report which details that unchecked water use and pollution from Bangladesh’s booming textile and garment industry are putting communities and supply chains at risk.
The study, from the Resilient Water Accelerator initiative and supply chain advisory company SupplyESChange, calls for urgent investment in water stewardship by the sector.
It says Bangladesh is the world’s second biggest garment producer, after China, but water scarcity, pollution and outdated infrastructure threaten both its economic future and the wellbeing of millions.
📍We also highlighted another study from BSI which notes that fears about the hygiene and quality of reused or repaired clothing and other products are holding back global efforts to move to a circular economy and minimise the impacts of consumption on the planet.
The report, ‘The Tipping Point: Building Trust in the Circularity Economy’ also pinpoints consumer concern about safety and reliability as critical barriers to the adoption of circular practices amongst consumers.
Thursday
📍We began Thursday by discussing that a new investigation has highlighted a ‘significant risk’ of hidden exploitation in Amazon seller supply chains for fashion products sold to UK consumers.
Researchers from the human rights campaign organisation Labour Behind the Label traced products sold on Amazon marketplace to three supplier factories in Pakistan.
It claims workers there reported not being paid minimum wages, working excessive hours and forced overtime, with no contracts or payslips, or access to mandatory social security.
📍We also delivered the news that a new study highlights the potential of ‘continuous Fenton processes’ to tackle one of the textile industry’s biggest environmental challenges – the treatment of dye-laden wastewater.
The Fenton process, an advanced oxidation technique, uses hydrogen peroxide and iron salts to generate highly reactive hydroxyl radicals able to degrade a wide range of organic pollutants, including stubborn synthetic dyes.
Friday
📍Today, we will discuss how the European Union’s flagship anti-deforestation law suffered a setback this week with the European Parliament voting to reject the European Commission’s proposed benchmarking system to categorise countries by their deforestation risk level.
🌟We hope you’ve enjoyed the Weekly Briefing- see you next week (you can subscribe if you’d like- it means you don’t miss a week, and lets us know you’re enjoying it).