Sustainable Textiles

Switzerland: Empa and Textile Partners Develop PFAS-Free Plasma Coatings for Outdoor Clothing

Switzerland has highlighted an Empa-led, Innosuisse-funded project with textile manufacturers to develop PFAS-free plasma coating technologies for outdoor clothing, using organosilicon compounds and Safe and Sustainable by Design principles. This research, award recognition, and related SSbD briefing signal an accelerating shift toward viable PFAS alternatives in textiles, with future implications for product design choices, supply chains, and forthcoming regulatory restrictions on PFAS.

14 May 2026, 18:42news.admin.chSwitzerland

European Commission Summarises Consultation on Green-Listing Waste Under Regulation (EU) 2024/1157

The European Commission has published a factual summary of stakeholder responses on green-listing additional waste streams under the new Waste Shipment Regulation (EU) 2024/1157. The findings show strong industry support for expanding green-listed non-hazardous e-waste, textiles and metals, signalling likely delegated acts that will ease cross-border recovery shipments within the EU and reshape recycling flows.

14 May 2026, 05:56eur-lex.europa.euEuropean Union

Spain Publishes 2026 Annual Regulatory Plan

Spain’s 2026 Annual Regulatory Plan (Plan Anual Normativo 2026) sets out 179 planned initiatives (10 organic laws, 38 laws and 131 royal decrees) that ministries aim to bring to the Council of Ministers during 2026, including 61 measures that would incorporate EU law. For chemicals, environment, product stewardship and HSE, the plan foreshadows upcoming Spanish measures on EUDR implementation, textiles and used‑oil waste and EPR regimes, fluorinated greenhouse gases and refrigerants, biocides, medicines and medical devices, general product safety, sustainable consumption and multiple occupational‑safety reforms, giving companies early visibility of dossiers likely to affect operations and supply chains.

10 May 2026, 18:59transparencia.gob.esSpain

New Jersey Assembly Bill A5048 Proposes Ban on PFAS in Apparel

New Jersey is considering Assembly Bill A5048, an Assembly companion to Senate Bill S1281, to ban the sale, manufacture and distribution of apparel containing intentionally added PFAS, with the ban taking effect two years after the act becomes effective. If enacted, this would extend New Jersey’s PFAS consumer products law to textiles, forcing apparel brands selling into the state to eliminate intentionally added PFAS from most clothing lines and plan for a two-year reformulation and supply chain transition window.

9 May 2026, 14:18njleg.state.nj.usUnited States

Norway Consults on Extended Producer Responsibility Scheme for Textiles and Textile Waste

Norway has launched a public consultation on a draft regulation introducing extended producer responsibility for textiles and textile waste, with new obligations proposed to start from 1 January 2027. The scheme would shift collection and treatment costs onto textile producers and importers, requiring them to join producer-responsibility organisations and tightening expectations on reuse, exports and consumer information, so textile brands and retailers must prepare for higher compliance and product stewardship demands.

9 May 2026, 13:22miljodirektoratet.noNorway

Norwegian Environment Agency Consults on Extended Producer Responsibility for Textiles and Textile Waste

Norway is consulting on a new regulation that would introduce nationwide extended producer responsibility for textiles and footwear, shifting collection and treatment costs to producers from 1 January 2027. If adopted, brands and importers will need to join producer responsibility organisations, fund separate textile collection and waste management, and prepare for tighter scrutiny of textile exports and circularity performance.

9 May 2026, 13:18miljodirektoratet.noNorway

EU Council Annex Details Denmark Recovery Plan Milestones For Contaminated Land, Circular Economy And CCS

The EU Council annex updates Denmark’s Recovery and Resilience Plan by detailing how contaminated land remediation, circular economy projects for plastics and textiles, CCS feasibility work and green-heating and energy-efficiency schemes must progress through 2026 to unlock successive EU funding tranches. These milestones, tied to large non-repayable EU disbursements, reinforce policy pressure on Danish regulators and beneficiaries to deliver remediation, decarbonisation and low-waste innovation, shaping investment decisions for chemicals-intensive, waste-management, textile and energy-using sectors over the medium term.

3 May 2026, 14:27data.consilium.europa.euEuropean UnionDenmark

OEKO-TEX STANDARD 100 2026 Update Tightens Supplier Certification and RSL Procedures

OEKO-TEX has issued 2026 updates to its STANDARD 100 certification, tightening supplier certificate rules, wet-process coverage, and risk-based testing, with the new criteria and limit values becoming binding from June 2026 after a short transition. Textile brands and suppliers relying on OEKO-TEX now need to ensure direct-supplier certificates, fully certified wet processes, and updated RSL management by mid-2027 to avoid certification gaps and stay ahead of tightening global chemicals expectations.

29 Apr 2026, 18:16oeko-tex.comGlobal

East African Community Consults on Draft Umbrella Fabrics Standard (DEAS 225:2026)

East African Community standards bodies are consulting on a revised umbrella fabrics standard (DEAS 225:2026) that consolidates previous parts and tightens harmonised performance, composition, and labelling requirements across five partner states. If adopted, textile and umbrella manufacturers supplying Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda may need to adjust fabric specifications, testing routines, and product labelling to maintain market access under the new regional standard.

28 Apr 2026, 15:09members.wto.orgBurundiKenyaRwandaTanzaniaUganda

Basel Convention Secretariat Issues Draft OEWG Work Programme for 2028–2029 Biennium

Document **UNEP/CHW/OEWG.15/14** (24 February 2026) presents a draft work programme for the Basel Convention Open‑ended Working Group (OEWG) for the 2028–2029 biennium, to be discussed at OEWG‑15 in June 2026 and then adopted, in revised form, by COP‑18. The draft highlights high‑priority agenda items such as improving the prior informed consent procedure, updating POPs and e‑waste technical guidelines, and further work on plastic waste, nanomaterial‑containing wastes and used textiles, signalling medium‑term policy focus areas without yet establishing new binding obligations.

24 Apr 2026, 09:16docs.un.orgGlobal

Japan METI Updates Multiple JIS Standards on Chemical Fibres, Engine Emissions and Electrical Equipment

In April 2026, Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry formally established, revised, and abolished multiple Japanese Industrial Standards covering synthetic fibres, engine exhaust testing, low-voltage switchgear, and rubber materials. These changes will require manufacturers and test laboratories that rely on JIS for product design, certification, or customer specifications to update referenced standards, test methods, and quality documentation across affected product lines.

24 Apr 2026, 07:25kanpo.go.jpJapan

Denmark Updates Produkter.dk Defective Products List With 72 Textile Items

Danish product safety authorities have expanded the official Produkter.dk register by adding 72 textile products to the “Mangelfulde produkter” (defective products) list in April 2026. This signals active market surveillance of clothing documentation and labelling compliance, so textile brands and importers should verify that their SKUs meet Danish and EU product-safety requirements and monitor the register for any listings affecting them.

23 Apr 2026, 14:18produkter.dkDenmark

US Commerce Finalises Antidumping Duty Review for Low Melt Polyester Staple Fiber From Korea (2023–2024)

In April 2026 the US Department of Commerce issued final 2023–2024 antidumping duty review results for low melt polyester staple fibre from Korea, setting a 3.02% dumping margin and corresponding cash deposit rate for Toray Advanced Materials Korea while maintaining a 16.27% all-others rate. US importers sourcing this fibre from Korea now face updated assessment and deposit obligations that may increase landed costs and warrant reassessing supplier exposure, contract terms, and alternative sourcing options over the coming months.

22 Apr 2026, 18:12federalregister.govUnited StatesSouth Korea

Basel Convention OEWG 15 To Consider Options on Used Textiles and Textile Wastes

The Basel Convention Secretariat has issued a note for the June 2026 meeting of its Open-ended Working Group outlining how work on used textiles and textile wastes is progressing and presenting draft options for how the Convention could address their transboundary movement and management. The draft decision foresees a comment period running to late 2026 and prepares the ground for potential COP18 decisions that could tighten controls and clarify obligations for global trade and treatment of textile waste streams.

21 Apr 2026, 14:59docs.un.orgGlobal

Netherlands RIVM Assesses Impacts of Exported Plastic Waste and Discarded Textiles

The Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment has published a literature-based assessment of health and environmental risks from uncontrolled processing of plastic waste and discarded textiles exported outside Europe. The findings on carcinogenic, persistent and endocrine-disrupting emissions provide evidence that Dutch inspectors and policymakers can use to target waste-export supervision and potentially tighten future waste shipment controls.

19 Apr 2026, 16:41rivm.nlNetherlands

Norway Reviews Expert Group’s “Ikke Rett Fram” Circular Economy Recommendations

Norway’s Ministry of Climate and Environment is spotlighting the expert group’s May 2025 report “Ikke rett fram”, which recommends 79 measures to accelerate the circular economy, including a plastic packaging tax, a textile tax, stronger repair incentives, and extended producer responsibility, and notes that the report has been through a public consultation. The government is now systematically reviewing all recommendations and consultation input across ministries, signalling potential future tax and regulatory changes for packaging, textiles, electronics, construction and waste-intensive sectors but without concrete legislative proposals yet.

17 Apr 2026, 18:26regjeringen.noNorway

New Jersey Senate Passes PFAS Apparel Ban Bill S1281

In March 2026 the New Jersey Senate passed S1281, a PFAS-in-apparel bill that would ban the sale, manufacture, and distribution of most clothing with intentionally added PFAS two years after the law takes effect, and sent it to the Assembly for further consideration. If enacted, apparel brands, retailers, and suppliers selling into New Jersey would need to map PFAS use across product lines, redesign materials, or switch suppliers well ahead of the compliance date to avoid enforcement under the state’s broader PFAS product framework.

15 Apr 2026, 13:46pub.njleg.govUnited States

Texas Attorney General Investigates Lululemon Over PFAS in Activewear

In April 2026, the Texas attorney general opened a civil investigation into Lululemon over whether its PFAS-containing activewear and wellness-focused marketing misled consumers about product safety and health impacts. This marks a broader enforcement signal that state regulators may increasingly target PFAS use and sustainability claims in performance textiles, raising litigation and reputational risk for apparel and consumer brands using similar chemistries.

14 Apr 2026, 07:36texasattorneygeneral.govUnited States

New York Senate Bill S9740 Proposes Environmental Due Diligence and Remediation Fund for Large Fashion Sellers

New York has proposed the Fashion Environmental Accountability Act, mandating large apparel and footwear sellers to map supply chains and conduct environmental and human rights due diligence. Businesses must prepare for rigorous Tier 1-4 transparency obligations and science-based climate targets or face substantial daily financial penalties for non-compliance.

6 Apr 2026, 18:44nysenate.govUnited States

UK: Defra Opens Consultations on POPs and PFAS for Textile and Apparel Sector

The UK government has proposed adding five new substances, including MCCPs and LC-PFCAs, to the GB POPs Regulation while refining the indicative list for PFAS. Businesses should prepare for imminent bans on these substances in products and processes, particularly affecting water-repellent coatings, textiles, and flame retardants.

5 Apr 2026, 05:38gov.ukUnited Kingdom