ILLUSTRATION BY RUTH MACAPAGAL
Philippine garment exporters have joined the international campaign to modernize clothes labels. It will see physical labels phased out in favour of digital labels and reduce manufacturing costs.
Foreign Buyers Association of the Philippines (Fobap) president Robert Young told the Inquirer on Monday that they would sign up for the initiative of American Apparel and Footwear Association (AAFA) urging the world’s governments to update their domestic labeling requirements.
Young’s trade group comprises buyers and exporters for garments. Young said the AAFA is currently drafting an open-letter to petition regulators to allow fully digital labels.
“The current proliferation of labelling requirements not only confuses consumers and creates uncomfortable products, but it directly contributes to textile waste since the industry is forced to produce more than 9 kilometers of label tape each year in order to comply,” AAFA said in a letter that convinced Fobap to join the movement.
The AAFA represents the apparel, footwear and sewn goods companies in America as well as their suppliers.
After receiving support from various garment trade associations around the world, the US trade association plans to publish the open letter in March.
Young said they agreed with the AAFA’s stance, citing that physical clothing labels were wasteful and that doing away with these would let the garment industry save on costs.
“It’s a wastage. They are barely used. Let’s go digital,” said the president of Fobap, a trade association that exports around $1.5 billion worth of garments each year.
Young calculated that each label would cost around 15 cents. Young stated that the digital tag could be used to save billions in annual savings for global apparel companies.
Vogue Magazine, an American fashion and lifestyle magazine claims that digital labeling began in 2020. It noted that British luxury fashion house Burberry was the first to introduce “sustainability” labels via QR (quick response) codes back in 2020. Fashion startup Pangaia also came out with “digital passports” a year later. INQ
Unfortunately, your subscription was not saved. We recommend that you try again.
Thank you for subscribing.
Follow Next
Subscribe to INQUIRER PLUS to get access to The Philippine Daily Inquirer & other 70+ titles, share up to 5 gadgets, listen to the news, download as early as 4am & share articles on social media. Contact 896 6000.
We are available to answer your questions, concerns, and feedback.