Market Access - Apparel
The IWTO Advocacy Project “Apparel” is aiming to obtain a better legal security for labeling of wool and wool blend garments.
Background
In 2007, US President George Bush has signed into United States law the ‘Wool Suit Fabric Labelling Fairness and International Standards Conforming Act’, which amends the Wool Products Labelling Act of 1939 by adding definitions of fine and superfine wool and of cashmere.
This remarkable achievement was pushed through the advocacy work of the US National Textile Association (NTA) and the Cashmere and Camel Hair Manufacturers Institute (CCMI), both represented through Karl Spilhaus.
“Consumers will benefit from these new regulations. The consumer has come to recognise that the designations Super 100’s and so forth on a garment are intended as an indicator of quality; these new regulations apply a clear, scientifically-based and internationally-recognised standard to the use of those numbers.”
The new regulations are aimed at the dishonest and unscrupulous manufacturers who attempt to defraud the public with mislabelled products.”
Proposed Activity
Main activities of the project will be in direct advocacy and coordination of advocacy activities of the wool industry sector.
Such tasks are:
- Gain influence among the national EU and Japanese decision-makers through advocacy
- Addressing industry sector’s interests to the relevant stakeholders (advisors/influencers & legislators/regulators) to achieve the set target/milestone
ADVOCACY Targets
- Establishing a ‘Wool Products Labelling Act’ for “IWTO Super S Code” for wool fabrics in the EU and Japan, similar to the one in the US.
- This Wool Products Labelling Act should become law in the EU and Japan as a new regulation/national law
- Other project related lobbying issues may arise after the project has started and could be authorised by the Governance Committee.
- Developing and setting targets for the wool industry for a long-term strategy. Preparing a policy document with the set targets, which will serve as basis for the second phase of the lobbying project.
- Getting official access to the relevant legislation committees for textiles, (e.g. relevant for regulations and definitions of raw materials in respect to environment, waste, etc.)
- Establishing and keeping contacts to the relevant trade and governments of countries involved in the wool supply chain, for assuring international free flow of wool without trade barriers, etc.
- The project will be of special benefit to fine and super-fine wool.
Emerging from the U.N. Year of Natural Fibres 2009 the Discover Natural Fibres Initiative supported by IWTO is a worldwide campaign to promote the use of natural fibres through education about their benefits both to the wearer as well as the environment as a whole. 