The Swedish Textile Initiative For Climate Action (STICA)
Policy Positions
Climate Action: Current Legislation & Policy Positions
When it comes to climate action, STICA has developed a significant understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing apparel and textile companies and the industry overall.
Based on our work and analysis to date we have concluded that no matter how ambitious companies are in regards to climate action, without substantial changes in legislation, serious financial investment and rapid innovation, the pace of greenhouse gas reductions for companies and the industry overall will be too slow, and most likely, insignificant.
This means our political leaders and industry champions need to get serious about their critical role in enabling this industry to transform at the pace and scale required. They need to design and support legislation to ensure the business case for investing in ambitious climate action is undeniable and unavoidable.
That is why The Sustainable Fashion Academy (SFA) and the Swedish Textile Initiative for Climate Action (STICA) warmly welcomed the EU Commission’s Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles published in March 2022. Stringent legislation, addressing the underlying drivers for unsustainable practices in the sector and enabling the rapid transformation of the industry, is urgent.
Some of the policy initiatives proposed or anticipated by the EU Commission under the Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles will be key in delivering emission reductions (e.g. Eco-design for Sustainable Products Regulation, Corporate Sustainability Due-Diligence Directive). However, to fully decarbonize the industry, further legislative action will be critical. To halve emissions in upstream production by 2030, the industry will need to decarbonize every stage of the process. Achieving a carbon neutral apparel and textiles industry will be dependent on robust and efficient climate legislation
The European Parliament Must Do More
The European Parliament is now developing its own initiative report on EU Textile Strategy. This is an important opportunity to strengthen the proposals already made by the EU Commission under the Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles. In particular the Parliament should strengthen the climate action provisions in the strategy and related legislation.
EP INI report on the EU Textile Strategy
SFA and STICA are calling for more stringent climate action to be considered in the EP INI report on the EU Textile Strategy. We specifically ask for:
Adopting stronger climate policy (targets) requiring companies to reduce emissions aligned with science;
Adopting economic incentives to make the needed transition economically viable for brands, retailers and manufacturers in the supply chain;
Providing public finance to support the transition and bridge the ‘finance gap’, especially for SMEs.
EU proposal for Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive
In regards to the EU proposal for Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive, SFA and STICA are calling for more stringent climate action to be considered in the EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive. We specifically ask to:
Introduce an intermediate emissions reduction target of 55% by 2030 (compared with 1990 levels) as mandatory in the Climate Action Plan foreseen in Article 15 and in line with European Climate Law;
Clarify that the Climate Action Plan must include companies’ value chain and therefore covers Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions;
Extend the scope of this obligation and require all large, small and medium-sized companies to adopt a Climate Action Plan;
Include the Paris Agreement in the list of Conventions in Annex 2, in order to extend the due diligence obligations to climate adverse impacts, while excluding SMEs from the civil liability regime of climate due diligence.
Contact Us
SFA and STICA welcome and encourage feedback from companies, industry actors and stakeholders regarding these positions. Please contact Michael Schragger for more information at michael@sustainablefashionacademy.org.