GPP Criteria for Textiles Green Public Procurement
Textiles Economy • Significant role of the public sector as purchasers in work wear and bed linen for health services. • EU Lead Market Initiative estimated that public markets for textile and clothing industry have a value of 10 billion Euros per annum.
Key environmental impacts • Ecotoxicity associated with the production and use of fertilisers and pesticides • Main contributor to energy consumption • Significant impact of water use for irrigation • Land degradation from intensive cultivation
Definition • It includes both finished products, intermediate products and accessories • Must consist at least 80% by weight of textile fibres • Textile fibres comprise: natural fibres, synthetic fibres and man-made cellulose fibres.
First Criteria (2012) Revised GPP Criteria (2017) • Includes intermediate products and accessories • Narrow scope • 80% by weight of textile fibres • 90% by weight of textile fibres • Laundry, maintenance and take-back services included • Focused on textile products • Inclusion of non-fibre accessories such as zips and • No mention of accessories buttons
Streams of the revised criteria Textile Products Textiles Textile Services
Textile Products Textiles Textile Services
Textiles Products Energy Chemical Durability and Textile Fibres conservation Restrictions lifespan extension during use REACH Durability Fabric Cotton Fibres Candidate List Standards selection Substances for Availability of Wool Fibres Care labelling final product parts Man Made Cellulose Fibers
Textiles Products Chemical Durability and Energy conservation Textile Fibres Restrictions lifespan extension during use REACH Durability Fabric Cotton Fibres Candidate List Standards selection Substances for Availability of Wool Fibres Care labelling final product parts Man Made Cellulose Fibers
Cotton Fibres • Cotton identified as the textile fibre associated with the most environmental impacts • Uses 16% of the world’s total use of pesticides • Two improvement options: organic and Integrated Pest Management (IPM) production systems • IPM is better suited than organic cotton due to the greater market availability. The suggested technical spec is open and leaves it up to the CA to decide between organic and IPM
Wool Fibres • Should be utilised when the wool content is greater than 50%. • Aspects of sheep farming and wool scouring require addressing to minimise impacts of wool production. • Addresses wastewater discharges from wool scouring • Verification reference to an ISO standard (ISO 6060) ensures that the test results are comparable.
Man Made Cellulose Fibres • Should be utilised when the content is greater than 50%. • Cellulose fibres such as viscose, modal and lyocell are manufactured from cellulose feedstock derived from timber, bamboo or cotton. • Criteria focus on raw material sourcing and emissions at the production stage. • Criterion with limit values for sulphur.
Textiles Products Chemical Durability and Energy conservation Textile Fibres Restrictions lifespan extension during use REACH Durability Fabric Cotton Fibres Candidate List Standards selection Substances for Availability of Wool Fibres Care labelling final product parts Man Made Cellulose Fibers
REACH Candidate List • Textile manufacturing requires multiple production stages and chemical processes to deliver finished products. • Substances from the bleaching, dyeing, printing and finishing stages are identified as being of greatest significance. • In terms of verification the tenderer must provide a REACH Article 33(2) declaration upon delivery of the finished articles.
Substances for final product • EU textile manufacturers are increasingly testing their final products for the presence of hazardous chemicals. • Given the increasing use of final product testing and ease of verification a number of final product tests are identified. • In terms of verification the tenderer must provide results from a laboratory. Test results from Type 1 ecolabels, as well as third party textile testing schemes will be accepted.
Textiles Products Chemical Durability and Energy conservation Textile Fibres Restrictions lifespan extension during use REACH Durability Fabric Cotton Fibres Candidate List Standards selection Substances for Availability of Wool Fibres Care labelling final product parts Man Made Cellulose Fibers
Durability Standards • Extending the lifespan of textile products is important to minimise their environmental impact. This can be achieved by specifying design and durability standards. • Standards in 3 broad areas : wash resistance, physical durability, durability of function. • Tenderer must provide reports from tests carried out in accordance with the standards specified.
Durability Standard Performance Benchmarks Test method Washing colour fastness Colour change and staining ISO 15797 in combination with ISO 105 C06 Seam strength 100 N at breakdown EN ISO 13935 or equivalent Wet rubbing colour Level 2-3 ISO 15797 in combination with ISO fastness 105X12 or equivalent
Availability of parts • The early failure of zips, buttons, velcro and fasteners can lead to the early discard of work wear and uniforms • No specific standards for such accessories could be identified, so a focus on the continued availability of parts was sought. • A minimum of two years is being requested for their availability. It is proposed that an indicative price list is provided in order to encourage more competitive pricing for parts.
Textiles Products Chemical Durability and Energy conservation Textile Fibres Restrictions lifespan extension during use REACH Durability Fabric Cotton Fibres Candidate List Standards selection Substances for Availability of Wool Fibres Care labelling final product parts Man Made Cellulose Fibers
Fabric selection • Energy use for washing, drying and ironing is associated with the most significant life cycle impacts of textile products. • The energy required can be minimised by fabric selection. Different fibres have different drying times and absorb different quantities. • Specifications focus on water absorption capacity. This is based on the laundry procedures of ISO 15797.
Care labelling • Evidence suggests that measures relating to washing have the greatest improvement potential. • It is proposed that where applicable, washing instructions on the GINETEX care labelling promote lower temperate washing. • Survey results suggest that employees unless provided with guidance may not always follow care instructions.
Textile Products Textiles Textile Services
Textiles Services Laundry Maintenance Maintenance of the textile Fabric Selection assets
Textiles Services Laundry Maintenance Maintenance of the textile Fabric Selection assets
Fabric Selection • Similar scope to the criteria already highlighted under the ‘energy conservation during use’ • To minimise energy use, laundry energy and detergent use. • Such services can better enable the correct management of the products.
Textiles Services Laundry Maintenance Maintenance of the textile Fabric Selection assets
Maintenance of textile assets • Importance of extending the useful life of textile products through adequate maintenance was already highlighted in other proposed criteria. • Requires provision of basic repairs – such as replacement of zips, repairing seam splits etc.
Conclusions • The first NAP gave a mandatory status to such criteria • Depending on the results of the public consultation, this product group will either maintain the current status or introduce the revised criteria on a incremental approach. • Any feedback is to be sent to gpp@gov.mt
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