The EU’s new campaign forces Vietnamese businesses exporting to the EU to be responsible for the sustainability and recycling of their products.
The Vietnamese Trade Office in Belgium, Luxembourg, and the EU said that the European Union (EU) has just issued guidance on implementing extended responsibility of manufacturers in the textile and garment sector and combating textile waste. These are the latest notes for Vietnamese textile and garment enterprises.
Textile waste is increasing day by day. Every year, people in the EU throw away 5.8 million tons of textiles, about 11.3 kg/person, with the industry burning or burying most of this waste and exporting it as used clothes.
That is why the EU has started a new, trend-setting campaign to combat the growing pile of textile waste. The campaign highlights a number of measures to reduce textile waste, from design requirements to anti-greenwashing advertising criteria.
In addition, the EU is also considering introducing extended producer responsibility (EPR) across Europe for garments. These are the points that Vietnamese textile and garment enterprises need to pay attention to in order to take adaptive measures.
The Vietnam Trade Office in Belgium and the EU is considering introducing EPR throughout Europe for garments. Accordingly, the EU will force all textile products brought into the market to be durable, repairable, and recyclable, reducing the harmful effects of fast fashion on the economy. Vietnamese businesses need to have appropriate business plans to avoid situations where EPR recommendations become mandatory regulations that will affect production and business. This is because the campaign’s vision also states that by 2030, textile manufacturers must take full responsibility for their products and waste.
It can be seen that these new measures will affect garment manufacturers doing business in Europe in the future. Most textile waste today cannot be recycled into new clothes because the materials are of poor quality or heavily mixed. Developing products that have a longer life and are easy to recycle seems to be the most practical direction for garment manufacturers.
Accordingly, manufacturers need to use higher quality yarns and fabrics, preferably with recycled materials. Along with that, businesses need to explore new ways of production, focusing on easy ways to refurbish, dismantle, or recycle clothes. In addition, businesses need to have solutions to attract shoppers to participate in this process because the above strategies will likely involve the use of relatively expensive materials and production methods.
The EU will review basic European waste legislation in 2023, focusing on the responsibilities of textile manufacturers after the sale of their textiles.
The Netherlands was one of the first EU member states to introduce extended producer responsibility (EPR). The EU believes that EPR is an effective tool because it encourages garment companies to produce items that last longer and are easier to recycle.
All of these new measures will affect the way garment manufacturers do business in Europe in the future. Developing products that have a longer life and are easy to recycle is the most practical direction for garment manufacturers.
The solution for garment manufacturers in Vietnam is to use higher quality yarns and fabrics, preferably with recycled materials. This is because the market area of 27 EU countries is a billion-dollar destination for Vietnam’s textile and garment industry.
In 2022, textile and garment exports to the EU reached 4.46 billion USD, an increase of 34.7% over the previous year, of which some markets have the largest import value, including Germany nearly 1.1 billion USD, up 37.2%, Netherlands 1.032 billion USD, up 46.6%, France nearly 700 million USD, up 22%, Belgium 481 million USD, up 24.5%, Spain 417 million USD, up 37.5%…