Cities and consumption: Local solutions to curb textile waste and combat fast fashion

The global fashion industry has seen unprecedented growth in recent decades, leading to staggering amounts of textile waste being discarded: 16 kg of textile waste per EU citizen each year.

The surge in fast fashion consumption has created significant environmental and social challenges, particularly at the local level, where cities are grappling with mounting textile waste and the subsequent economic cost and environmental pollution. Moreover, as of 2025, municipalities are obliged to separately collect textile waste, presenting a significant challenge given the current insufficient textile collection, sorting, reuse, and recycling capacities in much of Europe.

This paper looks at the measures that cities can take to tackle the challenges of fast fashion. To address the problem, some cities are beginning to explore the concept of sufficiency, furthering consumption and human well-being within planetary boundaries.

Full report available in English.

Executive summary, and infographic available in English, Slovenian, and Estonian.