Overview
EN ISO 5157:2023 / ISO 5157:2023 - Textiles: Environmental aspects - Vocabulary provides a unified, international vocabulary for environmental and circular-economy terms used across the textile value chain. Prepared by ISO/TC 38 in collaboration with CEN/TC 248, the standard defines terms for design, production, retail, use and reuse, recycling, repair and disposal. Its purpose is to reduce confusion, limit greenwashing risk and enable consistent communication among manufacturers, brands, regulators and consumers.
Key topics and technical content
The standard organizes definitions into clear categories and includes practical notes that inform claims and verification. Major topics include:
- Textile-specific terms: fibre, textile fibre, textile product, blended fabric, fibre composition (expressed by mass percentage), fibre shedding.
- Material classification: mono-material and multi-material textiles and products, primary (virgin) material, recycled fibre (non-virgin) and guidance on declaring recycled content.
- Biodegradability and bio-based concepts: definitions for biodegradable material, bio-based, bio-based content and biomass - including the aerobic/anaerobic degradation note for biodegradability.
- Environmental / circular economy vocabulary: structured sections covering circular economy terms, life cycle assessment (LCA) terminology, traceability, organic sourcing, material recovery and recycling, and end-of-life concepts.
- Verification and claims: the standard notes that recycled-fibre claims should be supported by stated recycled content and third‑party chain‑of‑custody certification.
The document is a vocabulary standard (no normative references) aimed at harmonizing terminology to support future technical standards and standards-based procurement.
Practical applications and users
EN ISO 5157:2023 is useful for any stakeholder in the textile value chain, including:
- Textile manufacturers and product designers standardizing material and end‑of‑life descriptions
- Brand sustainability teams and procurement managers drafting environmental claims and supplier requirements
- Certification bodies, auditors and testing labs assessing recycled content, traceability and LCA inputs
- Recyclers, waste managers and repair services aligning process descriptions and communications
- Regulators and policy makers seeking consistent definitions to support labeling, regulation and anti‑greenwashing measures
- Researchers and consultants working on textile LCA, circularity strategies and material flows
By adopting a common vocabulary, organizations improve transparency, facilitate supply‑chain communication and strengthen compliance with sustainability reporting and eco‑labeling.
Related standards and references
The standard references and adapts content from existing ISO documents (examples in the text include ISO 472 and ISO 16559, and ISO Guide 82 was considered). EN ISO 5157:2023 is intended to support and enable further standardization work in textile sustainability and circular economy topics.
