Rubber as a textile has been trending for over a year, from Bottega Veneta’s colorful rubber boots to Zara’s rubberized raincoats. Rubber, often used as a technical coated textile, is firmly established in the fashion industry, but its origins soon make it a question of whether or not it can be sold in the EU.
A new law agreed by the European Union will ban the import of products linked to deforestation. In addition to household goods such as coffee and cocoa, this would also apply to wood and rubber.
The EU plans to implement strict controls to ensure forests have not been damaged to make goods and fine those who cannot prove their products are not linked to deforestation.
A statement from the European Commission said the new law will help halt a significant proportion of the world’s deforestation and forest degradation, thereby reducing greenhouse gas emissions and biodiversity loss. This important agreement comes just before the start of the landmark Conference on Biodiversity (COP15), which aims to set conservation goals for nature for decades to come.
due diligence
The new regulation provides for strict due diligence requirements for companies that want to place or export corresponding products on the EU market. Companies and retailers must demonstrate that the products are both deforestation-free (produced on land that has not been deforested after December 31, 2020) and legal (in accordance with all relevant laws in force in the country of production).
Companies are also required to collect accurate geographic information about the acreage on which the raw materials they source were grown so that those raw materials can be verified for compliance. Member States must ensure that non-compliance is punished with effective and dissuasive penalties.
origin of rubber
Rubber is either natural (latex) or synthetic (made from petroleum). While less than a quarter of the world’s natural rubber production is used in footwear and waterproof clothing, natural rubber plantations have become a significant source of deforestation, land grabbing and human rights abuses in the first decade of the 21st century, according to data from fern.org.
EU carries 25 percent of world rubber imports
The EU is a major importer of rubber, accounting for around a quarter of world production. In addition to deforestation, rubber cultivation also has impacts on biodiversity loss and soil erosion, as well as hazardous waste, chemical odors and pollution associated with natural rubber processing. For the footwear industry, which statistically accounts for around 30 percent of all shoe soles in global footwear production made from rubber, this means strict compliance and careful scrutiny of global supply chains.
Why deforestation should be stopped
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) estimates that between 1990 and 2020 420 million hectares of forest – an area larger than the European Union – were lost to deforestation, according to the BBC.
Scientists and environmentalists have long linked forest destruction to climate change and biodiversity loss. The fashion industry is now legally obliged to reduce its impact, even if it is just a single textile.
This article originally appeared on FashionUnited.uk. Translated and edited by Simone Preuss.