New Week. New Tools. Same Broken System.
Everything you may have missed in sustainable fashion news this week.
Welcome to Week/End, your quick-hit guide to the need-to-know sustainable fashion news. Trusted by the industry leaders driving sustainability at global fashion brands, Week/End is what sustainability directors, climate leads, and circularity managers read for context, clarity, and culture—all in one email. We’re chronically online, so you don’t have to be.
If it feels like fashion keeps adding more labels without adding more clarity… it’s because it does.
This week brought more (voluntary) standards, updated (voluntary) certifications, and tougher (voluntary) frameworks, all claiming to “raise the bar,” close loopholes, and help brands make more credible claims.
Textile Exchange is overhauling its entire certification system. GOTS is expanding to cover non-organic fibers. GRI is rolling out a draft standard aimed at bringing consistency to sustainability reporting in fashion.
On the surface, it looks like progress. But zoom out, and it’s the same cycle: endless toolkits, endless schemes, with no shared, common language, and no serious challenge to the root drivers of overproduction and overconsumption.
The refusal to align creates an authority vacuum where voluntary standards multiply, each with their own benchmarks, each claiming credibility, and one by one, each being called into question.
And you don’t have to look far to see it play out.
Princess Polly, one of the fastest of the ultra-fast fashion brands, was just certified B Corp, scraping by with a score that barely cleared the threshold, fueling growing doubts about B Corp’s legitimacy.
A few weeks earlier, Coach came under fire after investigations linked its Leather Working Group-certified leather to illegal deforestation in the Amazon, highlighting long-standing criticism that LWG certification ignores raw material origins. Meanwhile, Better Cotton, the world’s largest cotton sustainability program, faced whistleblower allegations of data manipulation and conflicts of interest.
Even the organizations now vowing to “raise the bar” are sidestepping the hard stuff. A few weeks ago, Textile Exchange released a guide to help brands make “credible claims” about regenerative agriculture and avoid greenwashing by improving how they talk about it. Across 51 pages, the guide categorizes claims into “commitment,” “action,” and “performance,” but never sets a baseline or defines what regenerative agriculture actually is.
Instead, it repeatedly frames regenerative as a “place-based and context-specific” concept that can’t be universally defined. When I asked Textile Exchange directly why they published a guide without a clear definition, they were candid: they know the industry wants one, but say it’s too nuanced to standardize.
But nuance hasn’t stopped other industries. Coffee, for example, is the definition of “context-specific,” shaped by soil, altitude, processing method, and roast. Yet the industry built a globally recognized Coffee Taster’s Flavor Wheel in 1995 to create shared language.
Meanwhile, fashion hides behind nuance while expanding its maze of certifications and avoiding alignment.
For an industry that preaches accountability, we seem remarkably committed to keeping things vague. Making it hard not to see this as a symptom of a much bigger issue: fragmentation sells.
For industry organizations, certifications are revenue streams. For brands, sustainability is a marketing lever. There’s little incentive to collaborate, little incentive to simplify, and certainly no incentive to draw hard lines that might alienate members or customers.
At the end of last year, I wrote about the lack of structural and cross-sector collaboration that’s holding fashion back from making measurable progress in sustainability. Month after month, the news cycle seems to be strengthens that argument as the patchwork of standards gets bigger and more profitable, but not necessarily more effective.
The longer fashion avoids creating a shared language, the more it traps itself, chasing certifications that are crumbling under scrutiny, while regulators stall in political gridlock, from textile recycling rollbacks to paused green claims rules.
And so the cycle continues.
Brands chasing certifications. Certifiers selling crumbling credibility. Regulators stuck between ambition, politics, and infrastructure gaps.
We’ve heard from hundreds of sustainability professionals through our WTF is Sustainable Fashion? survey. Nearly 300 responses later, the message is clear: the appetite isn’t for more voluntary certifications and standards—it’s for real accountability that starts with establishing a common language. We need leaders willing to stop flooding the industry with optional guidance and finally draw a line in the sand.
Have a great week!
Brittany Sierra, Founder and Editor in Chief
P.S. We’ll share more from the survey soon! Until then, on to the news!
Retail Giants Unite to Form Textile Waste PRO Under New California Law, While Sweden Scales Back Collection Rules
What’s going on:
Three of the biggest U.S. retail trade groups the California Retailers Association, American Apparel & Footwear Association, and National Retail Federation signed an agreement to jointly create a Producer Responsibility Organization (PRO). The PRO will oversee the collection, repair, reuse, and recycling of textiles under California’s SB 707.
The details:
California’s Responsible Textile Recovery Act (SB 707) is the first U.S. law requiring brands and importers to take financial and operational responsibility for end-of-life textiles. The PRO is expected to be operational by early 2026, with producer registration starting by July 2026. Its first priority will be a statewide needs assessment to map infrastructure gaps and program costs.
The regulatory process:
CalRecycle held a public workshop on July 17, 2025, introducing the law, PRO requirements, and rulemaking process. Written comments are open through July 31, 2025 via Textiles@CalRecycle.ca.gov.
A second workshop is scheduled for September 9, 2025, focused on the PRO application process and statutory requirements. Brands and stakeholders can participate in-person or virtually and submit comments by September 23, 2025.
Meanwhile in Sweden…
While California ramps up producer responsibility, Sweden is revising its household waste laws after a surge in textile volumes overwhelmed local recycling systems. Starting October 2025, damaged or stained textiles that are unlikely to be reused or recycled will no longer be collected separately. Households will be instructed to throw unusable textiles in general waste instead.
The move comes after a sharp increase in textile waste since mandatory collection began in early 2025, driving up sorting costs. Swedish officials say the goal is to focus resources on higher-quality textiles that can actually be reused or recycled. Other changes include standardized collection rules, more mobile recycling centers, and a review of how collection costs are shared, with more reforms expected later this year.
MICROPLASTICS
The 5 Gyres Institute and The Nature Conservancy released 'Reducing Microfiber Pollution: An Industry Playbook,' a resource offering practical strategies for apparel brands. Organized into three guides for design, sourcing, and manufacturing teams, the playbook focuses on proven, accessible solutions to give brands a way to reduce microfiber emissions now, without waiting for perfect data or new regulations.
Swiss material science firm Livinguard announced a new textile finish that combines two functions: microfiber reduction and odor control. The product, Better Fresh, claims to cut microfiber shedding by up to 80% while providing durable, biocide-free odor control. This two-in-one approach is designed to make the environmental upgrade commercially viable for brands by pairing it with a feature consumers already value.
ACCOUNTABILITY
Loro Piana has been placed under court-appointed supervision for one year after an Italian judge cited its “culpable failure” to monitor suppliers accused of exploiting workers. A court administrator will now oversee the LVMH-owned brand’s operations, making it the latest luxury label caught in Italy’s widening crackdown on supply chain abuses. According to court findings, Loro Piana outsourced production through layers of intermediaries, which concealed ties to workshops where labor exploitation occurred—mirroring a pattern seen in recent investigations into Dior, Armani, Valentino, and others. Loro Piana said it was unaware of the unauthorized subcontractors and cut ties with the supplier within 24 hours of being notified.
CIRCULARITY
In a push to build out the U.K.’s circular infrastructure, textile recycler Reju is partnering with sorting specialist Circle-8 Textile Ecosystems. Circle-8 will use its automated sorting facilities to turn post-consumer textile waste into feedstock for Reju’s chemical recycling process, which regenerates polyester fiber.
Reconomy published a new strategy paper to help brands navigate the global rollout of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for textiles. The paper, "Textile EPR Strategy 2030," offers a five-year roadmap and outlines anticipated policy timelines for key issues like eco-modulation and Digital Product Passports.
Vancouver-based textile logistics company Debrand was awarded a $325,000 grant from the government of British Columbia's CleanBC fund to support a new R&D initiative focused on using automated sorting technology to create recycling pathways for plastic-based apparel waste.
INNOVATION
Brightplus closed a €2 million growth round to scale its BrightBio recyclable, bio-based textile coatings (the finishing layers you apply to fabrics to add water- and stain-resistance, abrasion protection and more) from pilot to full industrial production.
Chemical supplier Archroma announced a new dyeing agent that targets one of the industry's most resource-intensive processes. The company claims the product improves color fastness on cotton fabrics while cutting water use, energy consumption, and process time by up to 20%.
MATERIALS & INNOVATION
Recycled leather manufacturer Gen Phoenix secured a $15 million investment round led by Material Impact. As part of the deal, Tapestry, Inc. (parent of Coach, Kate Spade, and Stuart Weitzman) increased its equity stake in the company to 9.9% and signed a three-year supply agreement."
Pakistani supplier Interloop earned Regenagri certification for its 'Regen Kapas' regenerative agriculture project. The program, now involving 1,000 farmers across 6,000 acres, produced over 1,600 tonnes of cotton lint this season, with traceability managed by its proprietary Looptrace platform.
Textile Exchange is overhauling its certification system. On December 12, 2025, it will release the Materials Matter Standard—a single, voluntary framework that will replace its existing raw material standards. The new standard covers production and initial processing of raw materials, from farms to recycling facilities, with a focus on environmental and social impacts. Companies certified under current standards will need to transition, with audits under the new criteria starting in 2026 and mandatory adoption by 2027. A revised claims and labeling policy will also introduce clearer rules on how brands market certified materials.
Global Standard, the non-profit behind the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) is expanding its scope with the launch of the Global Responsible Textile Standard (GRTS)—a new voluntary standard covering responsible non-organic fibers. Like GOTS, GRTS applies strict environmental and social criteria, backed by independent third-party certification. The goal: extend credible sustainability assurances to a broader set of fibers, beyond just organic, without adding complexity for brands already GOTS-certified. The draft standard is open for public consultation until September 14, 2025, with final publication expected later this year.
Scientists from the University of Cambridge discovered that certain human gut microbes can absorb PFAS, the "forever chemicals" used in products like waterproof apparel. The research, conducted in mice, showed the bacteria could remove up to 74% of the chemicals, and the team has now launched a startup to develop a probiotic supplement to help clear PFAS from the body.
A new report from Solidaridad and the Organic Cotton Accelerator (OCA), titled "Cotton and Biodiversity," outlines how conventional cotton farming contributes to biodiversity loss. The paper identifies key drivers like the overuse of agrochemicals, monocultures, poor water management, and land conversion. With 35 million hectares globally under cotton cultivation, the paper argues there’s huge untapped potential for smallholder farmers—who produce most of the world’s cotton—to reverse biodiversity loss through practices like organic, regenerative, and agroforestry systems.
SYSTEMS & STRATEGY
The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) is taking public comment on a new draft standard designed to improve sustainability reporting and transparency in the textiles and apparel sectors. The proposed standard aims to create a globally consistent set of metrics to address impacts across the industry's complex value chains, and feedback on the draft will be accepted until September 28, 2025. To support the consultation, GRI will present the draft in a series of webinars, with the first global session scheduled for tomorrow, Monday, July 21.
Princess Polly, one of the fastest ultra-fast fashion brands, is now B Corp certified with a score barely above the minimum threshold. While the brand cites improvements like “lower impact” materials and supply chain programs, critics argue its overproduction model undermines the point of certification. The timing has fueled skepticism, especially as B Corp faces its own backlash and is rolling out stricter standards that won’t apply to Princess Polly until 2028.
What caught Week/End readers’ attention last week?
→ Leafr’s Sustainababble Translator got plenty of clicks, with readers eyeing tools to simplify sustainability messaging across corporate teams. *Since then, it’s switched from free to paid access.
→ A new BSI and Cambridge report on circular fashion barriers sparked interest, breaking down why resale, rental, and repair still struggle to go mainstream—despite growing hype. ► Read the report.
→ CalRecycle’s first public workshop on California’s upcoming Textile EPR program drew clicks, as readers followed early conversations on how fashion waste regulation is shaping up in the U.S.
Billie Eilish is pushing the music industry to rethink merch waste, with nearly 400,000 unsold concert T-shirts now being recycled into new cotton blanks through a partnership between UMG’s Bravado and textile recycler Hallotex. While Eilish helped catalyze the shift, the program now spans dozens of artists, positioning large-scale upcycling as an emerging standard in the music industry’s sustainability efforts.
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Thank you for this important overview - a must-read.
This was jampacked juicy news!! I love the Sustainababble translator- that is a brilliant tool and could be significant for the industry. Excited to keep up. Thanks for the good info!