The comprehensive quarterly report provides a detailed overview of legislative activities affecting the textile and apparel industry, as well as the broader consumer goods sector, across the EU, U.S., Asia, and other key markets. As a global nonprofit alliance with over 300 leading organizations, Cascale understands the crucial role of staying informed about policy changes to support sustainable practices and navigate evolving regulations.

Below is a summary offering a sneak peek into Cascale’s Global Legislative Update. The full document is available exclusively to Cascale members through Cascale Connect, a members-only platform. Cascale members can click here to access the full report.

Key Developments

From April to June 2024, significant legislative progress was made in areas such as climate change, labor rights, and promoting a nature-positive future.

• Major elections took place across several jurisdictions in Q2 2024.
• The European Parliament experienced a clear shift to the right. While the center-right remains the largest bloc, the far-right gained heavily, pushing the progressive parties, especially the Greens, from fourth to sixth place. The outcome indicates that climate change and wider environmental issues could have become a lower priority for voters amid concerns such as the cost of living and energy security.
• In Asia-Pacific, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will begin his third term but with the loss of his majority and a growing opposition. His continued tenure signifies a broad policy continuation, though with increasing weight on prioritizing economic challenges.
• Carbon pricing has gained momentum around the globe. Mainland China, Taiwan, Turkey, Vietnam, and the United States achieved various degrees of legislative progress in their respective policies to decarbonize their economies.

Key Implications

• The new European Parliament is unlikely to reverse the course of the green transition, especially as much subsidiary legislation of the European Green Deal has already been passed. However, the general focus of the majority appears to have shifted away from achieving environmental goals in favor of business interest. This is the case for the strongest political group, the center-right European People’s Party, as well as right-wing parties, which are growing in importance. As a result, the progress on further climate and wider environmental commitments could very likely slow down in the future.
• In India, though securing an underwhelming victory, Modi will likely have to prioritize solving bread-and-butter issues in a bid to shore up support in the next five years. With a manifesto commitment of achieving energy independence by 2047, his administration will likely focus on expanding renewable energy capacity while retaining low-cost, coal-derived energy options for the public and businesses.
• Carbon regulations across a number of countries will come into effect in the coming years. As the cost of emitting carbon rises, large manufacturers will have financial incentives to decarbonize their production models.

Looking Ahead

• A Global Plastics Treaty aiming to address the full lifecycle of plastics is on the horizon. It is based on a UN Environmental Assembly resolution supported by 175 nations in 2022.
• With an ambitious deadline of reaching an agreement by the end of 2024 and starting the implementation as soon as 2025, delegations from national governments and intergovernmental organizations will meet for the final round of negotiations in November in South Korea.
• The final form of the treaty will determine the global regulatory environment on plastic production and consumption. Relevant topics of the treaty that still need to be resolved include whether or not it will be legally binding, whether it will emphasize circularity or reduction, and whether it will include sector-specific measures.
• A total of 34 countries, including Austria, France, and the Netherlands, have already signed the Bridge to Busan Declaration, expressing support for reducing plastics production.
• The global plastics treaty will have ramifications for the textile, apparel, footwear, and wider consumer goods sectors, as much of their products contain plastics.

Cascale’s Public Affairs team aims to provide members with regular updates and insights regarding key developments and potential effects of relevant legislation, aligning with Cascale’s strategic plan, policy priorities, and members’ greatest needs. Members may access exclusive public affairs and policy resources on Cascale Connect here.

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