Better Cotton is continuing its leadership in sustainable cotton production and is actively participating in the Make the Label Count coalition to advocate for revisions to the PEF framework.
Better Cotton is working with the Make the Label Count coalition, which calls for changes to the existing PEF methodology to make it more reflective of the complexities of cotton production. Through this dual commitment, Better Cotton aims to drive meaningful improvements in how sustainability is measured in the cotton sector and across the broader textile industry.
Better Cotton aims to improve the transparency and measurement of cotton’s environmental impact. This move strengthens the organization’s efforts to ensure that cotton production becomes more sustainable and that consumers can make informed choices about the cotton products they purchase.
Backed by more than 50 natural fibre organisations and environmental groups, Make the Label Count advocates for fair, transparent and credible sustainability information across the fashion and textile sectors.
The coalition takes issue with the way in which the European Commission’s Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) methodology currently calculates the impact of natural fibres compared to synthetic materials for apparel and footwear. In its current form, the PEF methodology deems a 100% polyester T-shirt to be 42% more sustainable than a 100% cotton t-shirt.
The coalition has highlighted that this is because the PEF methodology currently fails to account for significant environmental impacts unique to synthetic fibres, including microplastic emissions, post-consumer plastic waste, and the fact such materials are not renewable.
“We’ve had major advancements in research and knowledge around the environmental impacts of the textile industry, but these aren’t included in the current methodology,” explained Make The Label Count co-spokesperson Elke Hortmeyer, also from Bremen Cotton Exchange. “Current methodology does not adequately consider microplastic release, biodegradability nor renewability, which are the areas where natural fibres really shine.”
Make the Label Count calls on the European Commission to amend the PEF methodology by integrating environmental indicators that would account for these three impact areas and ensure that the PEF methodology is truly representative of each fibre’s complete lifecycle and impact.