At its July plenary, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) called on the European Commission to strengthen the social aspects of key proposals to align EU rules on sustainable products, ecodesign and sustainable textiles.

The EESC adopted opinions on the Commission’s sustainable products roadmap On making sustainable products the norm, on a new regulation on ecodesign and on a strategy for sustainable textiles.

The proposals are part of the new EU circular economy plan and will increase efforts to make Europe less resource-dependent in the face of current crises, which include the COVID-19 pandemic, Russia's war on Ukraine and climate change.

In the opinion on the sustainable products roadmap and the ecodesign regulation, the EESC believes that the EU’s circular economy strategy will only succeed if producers, consumers and workers, as well as the authorities, are properly involved and informed.

Its successful implementation will require clear, sound and consistent rules. These are needed to ensure that sustainable products are competitive and to make the transition to a circular economy more inclusive.

Wider scope for a new ecodesign regulation

New requirements on product durability, repairability, recycling, environmental impact and CO2 emissions, for example, and improved rules on the information provided on digital product passports and labels are needed for the transition to the circular economy.

However, the proposed regulation overlooks the social dimension. A reference to the Commission's proposed Directive on Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence seems insufficient.

A stronger focus on workers' rights and child labour is needed

In a separate EESC opinion on sustainable textiles, EESC stressed that greater emphasis is needed on social aspects in the textile sector, notably on workers' rights and collective bargaining. The EESC calls for strict measures that prohibit economic relations with businesses that use child labour or which fail to ensure decent working conditions.

Furthermore, the EESC suggests that people should buy and wear clothes with a sense of responsibility.
In line with this call, investments and programmes are needed to improve the capacity of inspection bodies and the operational capacity of the social partners to monitor global agreements and workers' rights.

Finally, to ensure equilibrium between businesses and others in textile supply chains, the EESC recommends launching global best practices for sustainability. (ks)