Introducing the Textile Index: A New Framework for Sustainable Textiles labelling

Let’s face it—current sustainability metrics in textiles are failing us. The EU’s PEF method? It’s a maze of assumptions, hidden data, and black-box models that produce numbers with little meaning in the real world. It’s time we pivot. We need something tangible, something honest. That’s where a hybrid model could come in (aka the "Textile Index" just to give it a name). Think of it as a common-sense tool built on one simple truth: the longer a product lasts and the more transparent its journey, the better for everyone.

The Problem with Current Methods

Why are we still trying to sum up complex environmental and social impacts into one magic number? Lifecycle Assessments (LCAs) and PEF try to boil down sustainability into a score. But ask yourself—can you trust that score? Do you know where the data came from? Are the endless assumptions even close to real-world use? Why are natural fibers penalized for being, well, natural?

This has led to growing concerns from researchers, industry experts, and environmental advocates that PEF and similar models oversimplify complexity and misrepresent true sustainability. As indicated by this study https://lnkd.in/eVrWV6kr by Veronica Bates Kassatly and Terry Townsend or https://lnkd.in/eHnzCFWQ by the Fair Trade Advocacy Office (FTAO) or gd4505-mtlc-pef-whitepaper-final.pdf by Make The Label Count.

We’ve basically got a system that overpromises and underdelivers. It’s time we looked for clarity, not complexity.

A Better Way: Quality and Lifespan of the Product

Shifting the foundation of textile sustainability assessment to physical durability and real-world lifespan. Here’s my thinking: what if we judged sustainability by how well something is made—and how long it lasts? This hybrid model could do just that. Focusing on physical durability, not fantasy metrics.

We test it. We prove it. We track it.

• Lab-tested using CEN and ISO standards.
• Reproducible anywhere, any time.
• Correlated directly with sustainability: longer life = less waste.

What we measure:

• Abrasion resistance
• Tensile strength
• Seam strength
• Colour fastness and pilling resistance
• Wash & dry cycles before it falls apart
• ... and any other relevant quality parameter

No more guessing how consumers behave—let’s test and reliably predict via lab simulations and user trials.

Predictive Failure Analysis

Why wait for something to fail? Accelerated aging tests are able to predict wear before it happens. And with AI-driven insights, we can spot weak points in complex textiles—fixing them before they go on the market.

Reusability, Repairability & End-of-Life Analysis

We’re flipping the script here. At every End of Use stage, before we even think about recycling, we ask: can it be used again? Can it be repaired?

• If yes, keep it in circulation.
• If not, then and only then do we talk about End-of-Life.

Let’s build a Recyclability Index—one that rewards smart design, modularity, and materials that play nice within the circular economy and our planet.

Consumer Behaviour Integration

Sustainability starts with the right fit. Literally. Get sizing wrong, and people discard early. Get care & maintenance instructions wrong, and products degrade too fast.

EN 13402 (ISO 8559) and ISO 13688 (protective clothing labelling), they’re your best friends, ensuring products fit correctly. Pair that with ISO 3758 for care, and we’ve got a blueprint for extending life through proper use.

Let’s also track real usage:

• Returns to sorting organizations (including social organisations), repair centres, laundries...
• Wear tracking.
• Feedback loops from actual users.

Data beats assumptions—every time.

Social Circularity Metrics

Integrating metrics that evaluate the involvement and fair treatment of vulnerable social groups—such as smallholder farmers, garment workers and sorters—ensures that social equity becomes a pillar of sustainability. Indicators could include: wages (living wage vs min. wage) and working conditions, local employment rates in reuse/repair, access to training, and social economy contributions to circular flows. A “Social Inclusion Index” could complement the quality and recyclability assessments by recognizing efforts to empower marginalized workers within circular systems.

True Circularity is About People Too

Who makes your clothes? Who repairs them? Who recycles them?

• Fair wages, decent conditions.
• Local jobs in reuse and repair.
• Access to training, empowerment.

I propose a Social Inclusion Index to recognize those closing not just the material loop, but the social one.

Layering Environmental Impact: Modular and Transparent

Let’s ditch the one-size-fits-all score.

1. Greenhouse Gas Emissions (GHG)

• When available, use only third-party verified independent data (e.g. factory-level audits).
• Industry averages? Only if we must, and only global consensus-based industry averages.
• Report emissions as ranges, not falsely precise figures.

2. Water Scarcity Impact

• Report context-adjusted water use using tools like AWARE or WAVE.
• Distinguish between rain-fed and irrigated fibers.
• Clearly disclose regional water stress levels.

3. Chemical and Toxicity Profile

• What’s in it, what’s not. Declare absence/presence of harmful substances.
• Disclose use of ZDHC, bluesign, or REACH-certified processes.
• Focus on process transparency rather than theoretical outputs.

4. Biodiversity Risk

• Deforestation? Flag it.
• Regenerative? Celebrate it.
• Identify land-use impacts through risk-index tools and verify by satellite or ground truth.

Circular Economy and Green Claims Compliance

This hybrid approach isn’t just aligned with circular economy goals—it embodies them. Longevity, repairability, transparency, durability—it’s all here, directly supporting waste reduction and resource efficiency. At the same time, its foundation in standardized lab testing and transparent modular impact reporting ensures that claims are specific, evidence-based, and verifiable. And when the regulators come knocking? This system should minimize greenwashing risks and align with emerging regulatory demands for substantiation, audit trail, and traceability.

This isn’t just about materials either. The inclusion of social circularity metrics ensures that the system doesn't only close material loops but also social ones—by actively supporting and rewarding the integration of vulnerable and underserved communities within circular value chains. It’s about people, processes, and proof.

Why This Hybrid Model Could Work

Traditional PEF

Robustness = Relies on assumptions

Reliability = Highly variable

Reproducibility = Opaque methods

Hybrid Model

Robustness = Based on physical, repeatable testing

Reliability = Standardized, consistent data across labs and certifications

Reproducibility = Transparent, independently verifiable

The hybrid model provides a grounded, more objective, and verifiable approach that ties sustainability directly to product performance and verifiable environmental impact.

Implementation path

How can we make this work:

• Develop standardized durability tests per product category.
• Use third-party certified environmental disclosures.
• Create a modular labeling system (digital or physical) that shows:
• Open databases—factories, fibers, verified.
• Incentivize recyclability, repairability, and consumer engagement tools that capture usage data.

Applicability under GPSR, MDR, PPER

The hybrid tool should be adaptable to all textiles covered under either the General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR), the Medical Device Regulation (MDR), or the Personal Protective Equipment Regulation (PPER).

These applications however require specific enhancements:

• GPSR: Ensures consumer textiles meet safety standards throughout their lifespan. Durability and chemical transparency align with GPSR compliance, focusing on extended safe use and non-toxic materials.
• MDR: For medical textiles, it is crucial to integrate biocompatibility, sterility, and specific toxicity evaluations (ISO 10993). Predictive failure analysis supports risk management for health-critical applications.
• PPER: Protective textiles demand performance-based durability (e.g., flame resistance, cut protection). Hence PPE-specific tests (e.g., EN ISO standards) ensure protective function longevity.

Additionally, MDR and PPER textiles may become contaminated through use. Therefore, the hybrid tool must take into account the need for specialised professional handling and assess reusability based on contamination risk, ensuring contaminated textiles are either safely reused, sanitized, or responsibly managed at both End-of-Use/End-of-Life to prevent potential circular value chain contamination.

Limitations and Conditions

No silver bullets here. This works if there is:

• Testing Infrastructure: Availability of accredited labs, harmonized protocols, and trained certifiers.
• Data Transparency Culture: Industry willingness to disclose data sources, limitations, and assumptions.
• Governance and Enforcement: Independent watchdogs and regulatory bodies to validate claims, prevent manipulation, and enforce compliance.

Other Risks to Consider:

• Technology Access Gaps: Smaller suppliers or social economy actors may lack access to high-end testing tools or AI-driven analytics, potentially excluding them from full participation unless subsidies or shared labs are introduced.
• Data Privacy and Ownership: Real-world usage tracking and predictive modeling raise concerns around consumer data ethics, ownership, and security.
• Regulatory Misalignment: As policies evolve across jurisdictions, harmonizing this hybrid model with national and international frameworks could prove complex without strong multi-stakeholder coordination.
• Unintended Incentives: Overemphasis on certain metrics (e.g., durability) could unintentionally penalize sustainable but lightweight or flexible designs. Careful balancing is essential.

Without strong infrastructure, transparency, and oversight, even this improved hybrid system risks being undermined by selective reporting or greenwashing.

Conclusion: Quality is Sustainability

Want to reduce textile impact? Make better product. Make it last. Make it transparent. Textile Index isn’t just an idea—it’s evolution in thinking. One rooted in durability, fairness, and accountability.

Let’s stop talking and start working together.