NEW YORK – The Eileen Fisher Foundation has set up a web-based resource to track proposed and existing environmental legislation in Europe and the USA that will impact the fashion sector.
 
Integrated within the US retailer’s ‘Hey Fashion’ online platform, which is dedicated to raising awareness around textile waste in fashion, users can find a tracker that documents proposed, adopted, and potential upcoming mandatory rules on textiles.

The web tool is currently following around 25 pieces of current and evolving regulations and includes brief descriptions of these with further links to the relevant websites.

The resource, which was last updated on 13th April, includes the EU strategy for sustainable and circular textiles, which features proposals for textile labelling regulation planned for Q4 2023, as well as adopted regulations such as the EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), which was passed earlier this year.

Eighteen pieces of EU regulations are mentioned ranging from waste, chemicals, packaging, and even proposals on microplastics.

Details of US rules include the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA), which was signed into law on December 23, 2021, and the proposed Fashion Sustainability and Social Accountability Act or ‘Fashion Act’, along with the Garment Worker Protection Act — signed into law by California in January 2022.

“The fashion industry is in crisis,” says designer Eileen Fisher in a short film on the website. “I’ve seen first-hand the waste, the pollution, the problems, but I’ve also seen the possibilities and recently I’ve tried to use my foundation to make things different in the industry.”

The ‘Hey Fashion’ platform came out of a 135-page research report by the Eileen Fisher Foundation and offers a range of tips, tools, and advice for the industry on how to reduce its impact on the planet.

With a bewildering amount of regulation either already adopted or on the horizon, it’s well worth a visit and aims to do the same job to a similar platform and print publication that we publish at Textile Standards & Legislation.

The Eileen Fisher Foundation is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organisation led by sustainable clothing designer Eileen Fisher, which has over 50 retail outlets in the USA and has long championed sustainability in the fashion industry.