ITHIB President Calls on Brands and Consumers for Sustainability
Ahmet Öksüz, Chairman of the Board of Istanbul Textile and Raw Materials Exporters’ Association (İTHİB), made important statements at ‘Sustainability Talks Istanbul’, which brought the textile industry together with the theme ‘Take Action/Act Now’ this year. Öksüz said that manufacturers, brands and consumers should take on responsibility for sustainability.
Sustainability Talks Istanbul was organized for the fifth time this year with the strategic partnership of ITHIB and in cooperation with Orbit Consulting – Kipaş Holding. Sustainability Talks Istanbul, one of the most important meeting points of the textile industry in the field of sustainability and innovation, brought the textile industry together this year with the theme ‘Take Action/Act Now’.
Speaking at the fifth event, Ahmet Öksüz, Chairman of the Board of ITHIB, said: “The textile industry has a global importance not only with its economic size but also with its environmental impacts. The amount of textile-ready-to-wear products consumed each year is 62 million tons and this figure is expected to increase to 102 million tons by 2030. The annual textile waste generated per person in the EU is 12 kilograms. The fashion industry is responsible for 10 percent of global carbon emissions, and 87 percent of the fiber used in garments produced worldwide is either thrown away or incinerated. The rate of fiber recycled into ready-to-wear is only 1 percent. As the sector, we should review our homework once again by looking at these data that we are all familiar with. In this context, we are in contact with all our ministries, especially our Ministry of Trade.”
“22 Thousand Products Returned for a Small Difference”
Ahmet Öksüz said that brands put sustainability more on the shoulders of producers, which upset the balance in the sector, “This situation undermines not only the production processes. It also undermines the sector’s holistic sustainability goals. Moreover, the complexity brought about by the different and ever-changing certification process imposes on our producers the feeling that ‘no matter how hard you try, it will never be enough’. Unfortunately, this whole process causes ‘greenwashing’ to be scrutinized more and more.”
Ahmet Öksüz shared two examples of this issue in the sector and said: “A ready-to-wear product, of which 22 thousand units were produced, was returned due to very small pilling caused by the production process and the texture of the fabric, even though there was no problem in product quality. In another example, there is a dispute between the manufacturer and the brand on the grounds that there are slight differences in the fabric produced from recycled cotton from two products, one produced from recycled cotton and the other from conventional cotton. If you use recycled cotton in production, these differences can occur wherever you go in the world. The demand for a conventional fabric appearance using recycled cotton pushes our manufacturers not to produce recycled products.”
Refunds Also Cause Serious Emissions
Noting that another issue is the lot difference, Ahmet Öksüz said, “Due to the lot difference, which can only be observed in the laboratory environment, our companies may face frequent product returns. If we want a product to be sustainable, we should invite consumers and brands to be sensitive to these small differences. Because the carbon emission caused by the freight during the return process can also reach very serious dimensions. Therefore, unfortunately, we observe that we are not that sustainable.
In order to make sustainability sustainable, not only producers need to change their working methods, but also brands need to be aware of corporate social responsibilities at least as much as producers and put their hands under the stone.”
At the panels organized within the scope of the 5th Sustainability Talks Istanbul, evaluations were made on the future of the sector. Important names of the sector such as European Climate Pact Ambassador Marwa Zamaray, Cardiff University Lecturer Dr. Hakan Karaosman, Urban Outfitters Senior Manager of Purchasing and Sourcing Cherie Nelson and Lacoste Vice President of Research and Development Innovations Patrick Vignal took part in the panels.