NY CW: The EU’s ESPR has entered into force mandating digital product passports; what is the path forward for the US fashion industry?
As the European Union prepares the delegated acts implementing the new Eco-design of Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) which entered into force in July of 2024, the global fashion sector is at a turning point. Environmental labelling through digital product passports (DPPs) and future eco-design requirements that will be imposed under ESPR are emerging as a strategic issue, at the crossroads of public policies, industrial innovation and societal expectations…
Rather than just another regulatory obligation, ESPR provides fashion companies with an opportunity to be truly sustainable. No more greenwashing or underfunded eco-initiatives, ESPR opens the door for fashion brands to practice real environmental sustainability – and reap the benefits that entails.
In this context, Glimpact is organizing a unique event aimed at all stakeholders in the fashion and textile industry, whether manufacturers, brands, professional organizations or NGOs, to bring together major players and industrial experts as well as brands who have already implemented ESPR.
This discussion will dive deep into the global landscape of ESPR, as this regulation applies to all businesses who sell products in the EU and not just EU businesses. In addition, the Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) method, which serves as the underlying framework for ESPR and in particular the eco-design requirements, and the opportunity this framework provides for US businesses, will be detailed.
The scientific framework of the PEF methodology, which has been adopted by the EU through the Green Deal and is officially recognized by the UN as a universal method, is a rigorous method for defining ecological footprint that considers 16 impact categories, not just carbon emissions, to capture the systemic nature of the environmental crisis. By using the scientifically founded and universally harmonized PEF method as a reference framework for defining environmental performance, ESPR enables major players to be at the heart of the fashion industry’s ecological transition.
This discussion will include the following:
A clear path forward for the US fashion companies as ESPR prepares to shake up the game on a global scale.
A presentation the PEF method and its scientific foundations and opportunities to uncover action leverage for reducing environmental impact.
A presentation of the application of the PEF method to the fashion industry as a whole, with survey results detailing industry-wide hotspots and important focuses at the product design level
The challenges of implementing and deploying this environmental standard at scale in the context of the upcoming application of ESPR
To give a voice to pioneering brands and manufacturers who are already prepared to comply with ESPR
To demonstrate how the PEF method can be used to constitute a company’s detailed scope 3, in such a way that provides clear insights into how to reduce footprint.
To share feedback, challenges encountered, and progress made.
To foster collective and ambitious action to significantly reduce the fashion sector’s environmental footprint.
Speakers:
David Cormand, Member of European Parliament, Co-Rapporteur and Co-Author of the ESPR Regulation
Nicole De La Cruz, Global Sustainability Director @Wilson Sporting Goods Co.
Katy O'Brien, Head of Sustainable Innovation @New Balance
Pauline Keraudy, Sustainable Sourcing Director @Groupe Beaumanoir
Sally Qiu, Co-Director, Fashion, Energy, and Climate Network @Columbia Climate School & Senior Research Associate, Center on Global Energy Policy @Columbia University
Alina Diaz, Entrepreneur, Brand Marketing Strategist, Founder & CEO @Alina Diaz
Lewis Campbell, Director of Data @The Footwear Collective