THE RESULTS OF THE MU TENDENZE SOSTENIBILITA’ F/W 2026-27 PROJECT
Fabrics and accessories for the future of the planet
Creativity, quality, and sustainability are Milano Unica’s well-established and distinctive values. For 15 editions, Milano Unica has dedicated space to exhibitors committed to pursuing these principles.
The tags of the samples on display visually represent the core values that inspire sustainability: the protection of workers’, consumers’, and citizens’ health through the elimination of hazardous chemicals; the reduction of natural resource consumption and the implementation of circular economy principles; and the promotion of social justice, climate action, and biodiversity protection.
In addition to these five core values, the product tags also provide information on three key characteristics of the company's organization: the adoption of a sustainable business management system; and the availability of a product environmental footprint (PEF) statement in accordance with the methods established by the European Commission for measuring a product’s environmental performance.
The MU Tendenze Sostenibilità project by Milano Unica is both an invitation and a challenge to designers to explore new and more sustainable solutions and materials without compromising on quality, beauty, style, and originality.
MU Tendenze Sostenibilità in figures
In this edition, there was once again strong participation in the MU Tendenze Sostenibilità area: 3,367 samples were selected by 400 exhibitors according to the criteria defined by the Milano Unica Technical Commission.
Samples and exhibitors by declared sustainability characteristics
These figures remain consistently high, confirming both the strong interest of companies and the foresight that led to the creation of the project.
The principles of chemical safety throughout the supply chain and circularity are now embedded in the vast majority of the submitted samples.
87% of the samples on display were produced using processes that comply with the main certifications, standards, or protocols related to eliminating chemicals harmful to humans and the environment. These samples have been awarded the "Chemical Safety" label.
An even higher share of samples (93%) incorporated circular economy principles in production, such as water recycling, use of recycled materials, recycling of production waste, or the use of single-fiber materials to facilitate recycling. These products were awarded the "Circular Economy" label.
Certifications requiring mandatory audits for compliance with international conventions on labor and human rights, whether in manufacturing or farming, were applied by 80% of exhibitors and 61% of samples. These have been awarded the "Social Justice" label.
Over half of the exhibitors (59%) presented samples that, thanks to their characteristics, contributed to reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and thus help combat climate change. These emissions reductions are attributed to factors such as the use of materials that replace fossil-based fibers, European-based production (which reduces transport emissions within the EU), renewable energy use, or corporate carbon offsetting programs. These samples have been awarded the "Climate Action" label.
Biodiversity preservation is increasingly central to the strategies of leading fashion brands — in the most advanced cases, this includes regeneration and improvement through regenerative agriculture and animal welfare practices. In this edition, more than half (64%) of exhibitors presented samples aligned with this vision. 32% of the samples were awarded the "Biodiversity Conservation" label.
Considering sustainability in business organizations, over 100 exhibitors have implemented a corporate sustainability management system. However, the use of Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) declarations aligned with EU specifications remains limited, highlighting the challenges of applying this methodology to the textile industry.
Standards, protocols, and certifications
Sustainability certifications, standards, and protocols are categorized by their scope. They may apply either to individual products or to the company as a whole.
The most frequently used product standards and labels (see Graph 3) pertain to chemical safety and recycling. 41% are Oeko-Tex Standard 100 certified and 30% are GRS (Global Recycled Standard) certified, plus 3% RCS (Recycled Claim Standard) certified for the recycling of materials. Certifications for organic origin include GOTS with 11% of samples, and OCS with 2%. Other certifications comprise FSC, RWS (Responsible Wool Standard), BC (Better Cotton), European Flax and others, each accounting for less than 1%.
It’s worth noting that many of the certifications mentioned have adopted a multi-criteria approach in recent years, expanding their original focus areas (e.g. chemistry, recycling, organic production, forest management, etc.) to include broader requirements such as labor rights and chemical safety.
As for company-level certifications (see Graph 4), the most common among the 400 exhibitors in the MU Tendenze Sostenibilità area include the ZDHC protocol (19% of exhibitors), followed by ISO 14001 (17%), Oeko-Tex STeP (12%) and the chemical guidelines from the Italian Chamber of Fashion/Sistema Moda Italia, adopted by 11% of the participating exhibitors. The 4sustainability protocol, ISO %0001 and ISO 45001, make for 5%-10%. Finally, with smaller shares are Tessile &Salute, For Textile, TF Traceability&Fashion, B Corp, and EMAS.
