As eco-responsible products gain market share, the textile sector must seize this opportunity by investing more in eco-design and the circular economy. This entails adapting to regulatory constraints and embracing innovative practices.

Eco-Design and the Textile Sector in Particular

Understanding the Approach to Eco-Design

A product or service is considered “eco-designed” when the company producing it minimizes its environmental impact from the earliest stages of its conception.

Eco-design ensures that environmental preservation goes hand in hand with maintaining the product’s functionality and performance.

A twin concept, eco-design also takes into account the functional and aesthetic aspects of a product alongside its manufacturing process. This makes the textile sector particularly relevant to eco-design.

In practice, eco-design combines aesthetic creativity, environmentally friendly materials, less polluting production methods (including recyclability), and respect for the environment. This approach promotes sustainable development, addressing both ecological and economic challenges.

Official Definitions of Eco-Design

The international standard ISO 14062 defines eco-design, listing environmental practices to incorporate into product development.

In Europe, as of July 2024, the Ecodesign for Sustainable Product Regulation (ESPR) came into effect. This regulation is a key component of the European Union’s Circular Economy Action Plan (CEAP) under the Green Deal. Currently, it provides a general framework, with specific obligations to follow. These include new requirements for durability, carbon footprint, recyclability, and consumer information.

For example, in the textile industry, the regulation prohibits medium and large companies from destroying unsold textiles and footwear.

In France, three official definitions of eco-design exist:

• AFNOR (2004): “Eco-design integrates environmental considerations from the design phase through all stages of a product’s life cycle.”
• NF X 30-264 (2013): “Systematic integration of environmental aspects in product design and development, aiming to reduce negative environmental impacts throughout the life cycle while maintaining or improving performance.”
• ADEME: “A preventive and innovative approach to reduce the environmental impacts of products, services, or buildings across their entire life cycle, without compromising their functionality.”

All these definitions highlight the importance of considering a product’s life cycle and its comprehensive impact.

Textile & Eco-Design: Key Issues

The amount of clothing purchased per person in Europe has increased by 40% in recent decades, with the textile industry responsible for 2–10% of the environmental impacts of European consumption. This underscores the potential of eco-design to make a difference in fashion and other textile-related fields like home décor, construction, healthcare, and automotive sectors.

Eco-design experts, such as L’Atelier des Matières, are working on developing innovative materials for these domains, focusing on fabric and leather reuse.

Eco-Design Strategies in Textile Products

The ESPR outlines the following objectives for eco-designed textiles:

• Increased durability: Textiles must last longer, using materials and techniques that resist wear, washing, and degradation.
• Repairability: Products should allow for easy repairs, enabling replacement of parts without discarding the entire item.
• Recyclability: Textiles should facilitate end-of-life recycling through easily separable materials.
• Use of recycled materials: Including a significant proportion of recycled content reduces resource demand and environmental impact.
• Reduction of hazardous substances: Limiting or eliminating harmful chemicals protects health and the environment.
• Transparency and traceability: Products must include clear information on composition, origin, and environmental impact, enabling informed consumer choices and improved recycling.
• Minimizing environmental footprint: From design to production, the product’s carbon and environmental impact must be reduced.
• Ease of disassembly: Multi-material products should allow for easy separation for recycling or reuse.

L’Atelier des Matières tailors its services to address these fundamentals, helping textile companies balance challenges and opportunities.

Eco-Design Obligations for French Textile Companies

Article 72 of the AGEC Law: Prevention and Eco-Design Plan

Since January 2023, Article 13 of the AGEC Law requires companies to display environmental qualities of waste-generating products. Article 72 further mandates the creation and implementation of a prevention and eco-design plan to reduce the use of non-renewable resources, increase recycled material use, and enhance product recyclability.

Which Textile Companies Are Affected?

All textile market players—apparel, home textiles, and footwear—are subject to these obligations.

Waste Prevention: A New Standard in Design

Waste prevention must now be integrated into product design. Companies must implement a five-year prevention and eco-design plan to identify priorities and effective strategies.

L’Atelier des Matières supports clients in navigating this transition and anticipating future regulatory requirements, offering a 360° perspective through its European partner network to provide tailored and forward-thinking solutions.