The Last Word with Matt Cooper Eco Labels Nudge Shoppers Towards More Sustainable Clothes
Oct 15, 2025
Dr. Shane Timmons, a Senior Research Officer at the ESRI Behavioural Unit, shares insights on eco-labels and their role in promoting sustainable clothing choices. He discusses Ireland’s alarming textile waste and the fast fashion crisis. The conversation covers how eco-labels, particularly a colour-coded A–E rating, significantly increased sustainable purchases. Timmons also highlights upcoming EU regulations that mandate lifecycle data for clothing. The importance of eco-labels for both consumers and brands is emphasized, shedding light on the environmental impact of the textile industry.
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Hidden Scale Of Fast Fashion Impact
- Ireland produces high levels of textile waste driven by fast fashion, buying a lot and wearing items far less than before.
- Consumers and manufacturers both struggle to judge sustainability from price or appearance alone.
Complexity Of Clothing Sustainability
- Clothing sustainability depends on many factors like materials, worker conditions, transport, and plastic use.
- The upcoming EU Digital Product Passport will require full life-cycle data to make sustainability clearer.
Second-Hand Is Most Sustainable
- The study didn't examine attitudes to second-hand clothes but noted buying pre-worn items is among the most sustainable choices.
- Their experiment focused on eco-labels for new clothing and encouraging buying less and choosing second-hand when possible.