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Tools to Support the Purchase of and Demand for Environment-Friendly Textiles - Business-to-Business English SummaryIntroduction IntroductionIn recent years more focus has been put on development and demand for environmentally friendly textiles, including textiles with the EU ecolabel the Flower. The increase in demand is primarily from public buyers, whereas so far demand from commercial buyers in private enterprises has been limited. However, there is a large potential for environmentally friendly textiles on the contract market. In terms of volume, private enterprises purchase large amounts of textiles and thus have an impact on the flow of goods and the supply in product chains. The market is influenced by demand and supply, and it is therefore decisive for the sales of environmentally friendly textiles that buyers demand and buy them. The purpose of this study has been to describe the barriers and options that professional buyers see when purchasing environmentally friendly textiles. In addition the relationship between buyer and supplier has been assessed. In this respect the purpose has been to analyse the options of the buyers for influencing the textile market in a more eco-friendly direction. Main activities and conclusions20 buyers in private enterprises, including hotel chains, were contacted by phone. The buyers were interviewed about the magnitude of textile purchases by the enterprise, the general environmental awareness of the enterprise, and environmental considerations behind textile purchasing. In addition, 45 textile suppliers and manufacturers participated in a questionnaire survey of supply and demand for environmentally friendly textiles. PlanMiljø furthermore collected information on environmentally friendly textiles and environmental assessment tools, and these have been assessed in co-operation with the steering committee of the project in relation to applicability in the purchasing situation. When professional buyers select textiles, three parameters are decisive:
Few buyers include environmental considerations in the purchase of work clothes or other textiles. Some of them use concepts such as ”unhealthy dyes” or ”substances that are not allergenic”. Buyers need concrete knowledge of which environmental requirements are relevant for textiles and therefore have difficulties in prioritising environmentally friendly purchasing. Buyers see it as a barrier to environmentally friendly purchasing that top management has made no decisions as to environmental prioritisation in textile purchasing. Buyers are under financial and time pressure, and they select the traditional, and preferably cheap, products. They do so despite knowing that cheap textiles, particularly from Eastern Europe or Asia have a reputation of being manufactured without due regard to the environment or health and safety at work. In most enterprises environmental divisions and purchasing divisions are separate functions, each having knowledge and competences that may be exploited to include environmental considerations in textile purchasing. This form of co-operation is only seen in a few of the enterprises interviewed. Several buyers find it hard to imagine such co-operation due to differences in culture and work priorities. Co-operation with suppliers builds on confidence. Most enterprises require that suppliers comply with Danish legislation or are environmentally certified, but they do not carry out any control. The study of suppliers' experience with enterprises' demand for environmentally friendly textiles confirms this picture. 75 percent of respondents state that they never, or only rarely, experience that Danish enterprises ask environmental questions when purchasing textiles. Despite this fact, suppliers find that environmental factors do have an implication for the sale of their products, and thus buyers are in a position to influence supply. ToolsThe project has collected and tested seven different tools supporting professional buyers in prioritising their purchases of environmentally friendly textiles. At first, the tools were presented and discussed with the enterprises, including during a workshop. Subsequently the enterprises themselves reviewed and tested the tools they found most relevant in their own context. Several elements determined which tools were better for the individual enterprise. For example, the ambition level of the enterprise in relation to prioritising environmentally friendly textiles was important, and so were the professional qualifications of the enterprise/the buyer in terms of using the tools. In general, tools that require an assessment of the conditions of the supplier/the textile or more detailed data-processing were not suitable for the traditional buyer with no environmental knowledge. In this case simple pieces of advice for the supplier to follow were called for.. Such advice may be that certain substances or materials should always be avoided. WebsiteThe preferred, daily tool for contact with co-operation partners, information on products etc. is the Internet. This is why the project has established a website for professional textile buyers. The structure is based on an introductory text and the following sub-menus:
The structure and the contents of each menu entry are primarily based on discussions in the working group of the project. Thus, the selected tools have been presented and tested in several enterprises. Furthermore, the draft structure and contents were discussed at the steering committee meetings. The website is available from http://www.teko-miljo.dk/ (only in Danish).
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