Are Green Production Systems Becoming a Requirement for Future Market Access?
The green transition is also changing the environment in which international textile and apparel trade takes place. Buyers, regulators, investors, and consumers increasingly seek information about how products are made, what materials they contain, and how environmental and social risks are managed across their supply chains. For African exporters, this means that sustainability performance can influence commercial relationships even when a specific environmental requirement is not imposed directly by trade law.
International brands may ask suppliers to provide information on energy consumption, emissions, water use, chemical management, labour practices, material composition and traceability. Some requirements arise from company sourcing policies; others reflect regulation, reporting obligations or product standards in destination markets. Their precise scope and applicability differ, so exporters need to distinguish buyer expectations from binding legal obligations.
The EU’s Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation establishes a framework for product-specific sustainability requirements and Digital Product Passports. The European Commission identifies textiles and apparel among the product groups expected to be addressed through future product-specific measures, with the timetable and exact requirements depending on the relevant legislation and delegated acts. Exporters should therefore monitor the applicable requirements as they are developed rather than assume that every proposed measure already applies to every textile product.
The commercial implication is that sustainability information may become increasingly important to market participation. Manufacturers may need reliable data on fibre composition, material origin, production processes, product durability and environmental performance. Suppliers that cannot produce credible information could face higher onboarding costs, additional verification or difficulty satisfying particular buyer programmes.
This does not mean that all African exporters must immediately implement the same reporting system or pursue every available certification. The appropriate response depends on the product, destination market, buyer and scale of the business. Smaller manufacturers need proportionate pathways to improve their data systems and production practices without diverting scarce resources from essential investments in machinery, quality, and working capital.
African policymakers can support this transition by strengthening testing and certification infrastructure, improving access to technical assistance, developing practical guidance for exporters and ensuring that smaller firms can access finance for environmental improvements. Regional coordination can also reduce duplication where common standards, testing methods and data systems are appropriate.
However, green credentials alone will not make Africa a preferred sourcing destination. Buyers still require competitive prices, consistent quality, reliable delivery, adequate production capacity and responsive suppliers. Sustainability should reinforce these fundamentals, not distract from them.
The opportunity is to develop an integrated sourcing proposition: responsible materials, cleaner and more efficient production, credible traceability, skilled workers, reliable delivery and access to regional and global markets.