Climate change a top priority for new European Commission


"The message from Europe’s voters – and those too young to vote – is loud and clear: they want real action on climate change and they want Europe to lead the way." On this note new EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen went on to promise the proposal of a European Green Deal, the ambition to become the world’s first climate-neutral continent by 2050. This happened in the German politician’s guideline for the next European Commission – a Commission that will have ‘environment’ written all over it, although the final working programme for the new commission has yet to be published. The new Commission’s work on climate change is primarily comprehended in two policies: a new strategy for on biodiversity for 2030, and a new circular economy action plan building on work already laid out by the previous Commission. While it is already clear that this work will focus on the promotion of reuse, repair and remanufacturing of materials, Ursula von der Leyen renewed the focus on polluting fashion textiles in her guidelines for the new European Commission: "I will propose a new Circular Economy Action Plan focusing on sustainable resource use, especially resource-intensive and high-impact sectors such as textiles and construction." It is within Ursula von der Leyen’s vision that a European Green Deal will open up opportunities, and create a competitive edge to Europe’s industries, a view backed by Fur Europe’s CEO Mette Lykke Nielsen. "There is no doubt the climate change debate is an opportunity for the fur industry. A few years ago climate change was a fringe issue at best. Today, both public and political attention has snowballed climate change into being the number one issue on the global agenda. All of a sudden it becomes common knowledge that fake fur coats, which releases microplastics into our oceans and waterways, is not the ethical alternative it was once promoted as, while natural, biodegradable textiles like fur become prototypes for the new, circular economy. The number of eco-conscious consumers is on the rise, and they represent an opportunity for the fur sector," she says. However, the new winds flying over Europe are not without challenges to the fur sector either. Fur Europe has mapped the sector’s environmental footprint for the past 18 months, and the coming years will be used to find out how the sector can improve its environmental impact in every part of the value chain.