Section outline

  • Mapping the chemical traceability systems for textiles and carpets reveals a complex interplay of stakeholders, processes, and challenges, reflecting the current state of both industries’ commitment to transparency and sustainability. A system map provides a visual framework for understanding the connections and dependencies within the value chain, identifying gaps, and uncovering leverage points for systemic improvement.

    The key opportunity for advancing chemical traceability lies in establishing a globally harmonized digital transparency and traceability system for all manufactured materials and products. This comprehensive approach should incorporate digital product passports and a global database accessible to all value chain stakeholders. While existing systems like GUT-PRODIS provide a foundation, the focus should shift from regional solutions - like European Union market coverage - to implementing consistent chemical traceability standards worldwide. This global system would enable better tracking and management of chemical content across product lifecycles and international markets (HEJSupport, n.d.).

    As advanced by (Kiekens et al., 2022), a system map serves as a visual representation of complex adaptive systems, illustrating causal relationships and interconnections between various elements to reveal emergent patterns and self-organising dynamics. This analytical tool enables researchers and policymakers to develop a holistic, multi-perspective understanding of complex issues, identify root causes, uncover feedback loops, and pinpoint strategic intervention points while incorporating principles of systems thinking and transdisciplinarity. 

    The system map analysis highlights key opportunities for advancing chemical traceability in the carpet industry, including cross-industry learning and innovative business models. By leveraging best practices from other sectors, such as automotive and packaging, scalable solutions for chemical traceability can be developed and adapted to industry needs. Additionally, exploring business models like product-as-a- service, where carpets are leased instead of sold, offers a promising approach to ensuring their return to manufacturers for proper recycling and chemical accountability.

     

    System Map Analysis for Textiles: Fragmented Accountability and Emerging Solutions

    The textile industry’s system map highlights various stages spanning raw and recycled material sourcing, production, distribution, use, and end-of-life processes. This structure creates several challenges for chemical traceability:

    1. Lack of Uniform Standards: Different regions and organisations follow varying regulatory and operational standards for chemical management, which complicates traceability efforts. Companies operating internationally face additional difficulties in aligning their practices with inconsistent global frameworks (Fischer and Pascucci, 2017).
    2. Technological Integration Gaps: While Industry 4.0 technologies are being adopted to enhance traceability, these solutions are not yet uniformly implemented across the value chain (Khan et al., 2021). Smaller suppliers, especially in developing economies (mostly in the Global South), often lack the technical infrastructure or resources to integrate such systems. Several EU-funded initiatives focus on supporting SMEs in adopting traceability technologies, providing financial assistance, resources, and collaborative opportunities to drive innovation and sustainability. Notable examples include the TRACE4EU project, part of the Digital Europe Programme, which leverages blockchains to enhance document traceability and expand the European Blockchain Services Infrastructure. The STEP Scale Up scheme, under the European Innovation Council (EIC), provides substantial funding to scale innovations in strategic sectors, including traceability. The European Union supports SME digitalisation through complementary programs. The Digital Europe Programme leads this effort by providing comprehensive support through funding mechanisms, Digital Innovation Hubs, skill development initiatives, transformation projects, sustainability-focused solutions, and collaborative networks. This enables businesses to adopt advanced technologies while addressing key barriers such as costs, expertise gaps, and infrastructure limitations. Complementing these efforts, the COSME Programme specifically focuses on facilitating SMEs' access to finance for technology integration, creating a robust support ecosystem for digital transformation. Finally, the Horizon Europe Programme, the EU's flagship research and innovation initiative, enables SMEs to participate in collaborative projects aimed at advancing traceability technologies. These programmes aim to collectively empower SMEs to improve transparency, efficiency, and sustainability in their operations.

    3. Consumer Pressure: Growing consumer demand for transparency and sustainable products is driving innovation in chemical traceability within the textile industry, notably through Digital Product Passports that detail chemical composition and environmental impacts (Schenten et al., 2019; Calderon-Monge et al., 2020; Ospital et al., 2023). While larger textile companies lead these efforts through comprehensive traceability measures and digital tools due to their superior resources and supply chain management capabilities (Garcia-Torres et al., 2022; Plakantonaki et al., 2023; Alves et al., 2023), smaller enterprises struggle to adopt similar innovations due to limited resources and expertise, often falling behind in implementing these costly and complex traceability systems (Harsanto et al., 2023; Luján-Ornelas et al., 2020). 

    Despite these challenges, system maps for textiles reveal significant opportunities for improvement. Enhanced collaboration between textile manufacturers, their suppliers, recyclers, and technology providers can facilitate data sharing and drive circularity within the industry. 

    While direct harmonisation of international chemical regulations remains complex due to varying legislative systems, REACH and the EU Green Deal can serve as model frameworks for developing chemical traceability approaches in other regions. These EU frameworks provide valuable principles and practices that other jurisdictions might adapt according to their specific contexts. This could contribute to the development of more consistent chemical traceability practices globally, while emphasising the critical need for a harmonised digital transparency and traceability system that enables informed decision-making across all life stages of materials and products for regulatory agencies, companies, and consumers - a fundamental requirement for achieving a circular economy free from harmful chemicals (HEJSupport, n.d.)

     

    System Map Analysis for Carpets: Closed-Loop Potential and Persistent Barriers

    The carpet industry presents a slightly different picture, with a more defined end-of-life process due to established recycling practices in some regions. The system map for carpets showcases several distinct characteristics: 

    1. End-of-Life Recycling Systems: Unlike textiles, carpets usually have a longer lifespan and are more likely to enter structured recycling streams. However, this potential for closed-loop systems faces significant challenges due to the presence of harmful chemicals in carpets, including flame retardants (PBDEs), phthalates, heavy metals, and PFAS. These substances can persist through the recycling process and remain in the recycled materials, creating risks for human health and the environment. The lack of transparency and information about chemical content in carpets further complicates recycling efforts, particularly when the recycled materials are repurposed into products like insulation or padding. Despite these challenges, the carpet industry presents opportunities for material recovery and reuse within closed-loop systems (Fischer and Pascucci, 2017).

    2. Corporate Sustainability Initiatives: Larger carpet manufacturers are embedding chemical traceability into their broader ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) strategies, using it as a tool to gain consumer trust and meet regulatory requirements. These initiatives involve proprietary recycling technologies that allow for the recovery of valuable materials such as nylon (Spadea et al., 2015).

    3. Barriers for SMEs: Similar to the textile sector, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the carpet industry face significant barriers to adopting chemical traceability systems, including cost constraints and limited access to technology.

    On a positive note, the carpet industry has established traceability solutions, particularly for European manufacturers. The GUT-PRODIS system, developed in 2007 from the original GUT label, provides a comprehensive traceability framework through its three-pillar approach: chemical testing through the GUT system, standardized FCSS symbols for performance characteristics, and unique product identification via ID numbers and QR codes. Since 2020, this system has evolved into a complete Product Passport accessible online, demonstrating the industry's capability to implement sophisticated traceability solutions. However, challenges remain in achieving comprehensive chemical traceability across the carpet market. While European producers have access to the GUT-PRODIS system through ECRA, not all carpet products in the European market are covered by this traceability scheme. Some carpet products, particularly imports, may lack equivalent transparent chemical information.