In this open letter, RREUSE, ACR+, and ZWE call on EU and national policymakers to take urgent action to prevent the collapse of the used textile value chain. In less than two months, separate textile waste collection will become mandatory in the EU. This new requirement will place additional pressure on the sector, which has already been struggling with the market saturation created by the fast fashion industry and the increase in operational costs.
This looming crisis threatens to derail the EU’s circular economy goals, with devastating consequences for the environment, jobs, and social enterprises that play a vital role in textile reuse and recycling.
The co-signatories call on the EU Commission and national governments to unblock emergency transitional funding mechanisms to ensure the sector’s survival during the period between the beginning of the separate collection and the entry into force of the EPR.
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