Environmental & Social Sustainability Regulations

These regulations define essential protections, such as fair compensation, safe conditions and respectful treatment, to support social responsibility across supply chains.

United States:

• Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA)
  Protects workers by prohibiting import of goods tied to forced labor in the Xinjiang region.
• California Garment Worker Protection Act
  Strengthens wage protections for garment workers, abolishes piece-rate pay and ensures brand accountability for labor violations.
• US FABRIC Act (pending)
  Will promote fair labor standards in domestic apparel manufacturing through wage guarantees and worker protections.

Europe:

• UK Modern Slavery Act
  Addresses forced labor and worker exploitation through transparency obligations.
• Dutch Child Labour Due Diligence Act
  Protects minors from exploitation in supply chains.
• Forced Labor Regulation (pending final text)
  Would ban companies selling to the EU from using forced labor in their supply chains.

Circularity policies encourage the reuse, repair and recycling of products. They’re designed to preserve resources, cut waste and reduce the environmental impact of discarded materials.

United States:

• California Responsible Textile Recovery Act
  Requires extended producer responsibility for textiles sold in California. Covers collection, sorting and recycling to reduce textile waste.

Europe:

• Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles
  EU guiding framework for sustainable textile design, recycling, waste reduction and future circularity policies.
• Eco-Design for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR)
  EU Green Deal legislation that broadens eco-design rules to nearly all products, sets durability and reparability standards, bans destruction of unsold textiles and shoes and introduces Digital Product Passport (DPP) requirements.
• Green Public Procurement (GPP)
  Encourages public sector purchasing of sustainable, durable and repairable products to reduce waste and drive circular markets.
• Environmental Crime Directive (2024/1203)
  Sets penalties for activities that harm the environment, including illegal waste management and pollution.

Clear records of materials and production promote transparency, create accountability for claims and enable consumers to make informed buying decisions.

United States:

• California Responsible Textile Recovery Act
  Requires companies to track textiles through their lifecycle and report on recovery and recycling efforts to meet California’s textile waste targets.
• New York Fashion Act (pending)
  Will require companies to map and disclose ≥ 50% of their supply chains. 

Europe:

• Eco-Design for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR)
  Requires digital product passports, a traceability tool for product-level sustainability, chemical and material data.
• Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD)
  Requires companies to track and disclose supply chain risks and mitigation efforts.
• Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD)
  Requires detailed public sustainability disclosures across environmental, social and governance (ESG) areas.

These laws require sustainability claims to be accurate and verifiable. They help build consumer trust and prevent false or misleading advertising (e.g. “greenwashing”).

United States

• Guides for the Use of Environmental Marketing Claims (Green Guides)
  Requires companies to provide clear, verifiable environmental claims to consumers.

Chemical safety regulations limit harmful substances in consumer goods and textiles, with standards for safe handling and testing to protect people and planet.

United States:

• California Proposition 65 (CA Prop 65)
  Requires businesses to warn about exposure to chemicals known to cause cancer, birth defects or other reproductive harm in consumer products and environments.

Europe:

• REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals)
  Controls the use of chemicals in the EU by requiring companies to assess risks and limit or replace substances that pose hazards to human health and the environment.
• Eco-Design for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR)
  Expands environmental requirements to include chemical safety and restricts certain substances as part of product design standards.
• Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles
  Encourages companies to reduce hazardous substances and use safer materials throughout textile lifecycles.