PAVING THE WAY TOWARDS CURCULAR AND SUSTAINABLE TEXTILES
Textiles
The EU’s goal to improve the waste management and durability of garments is a good first step towards more sustainability in the sector. However, the current initiatives ignore the fact that production is mainly driven by fast fashion trends and aggressive marketing rather than the need to replace broken clothes. Until this is addressed via, for example, effective waste prevention measures, we are only treating the symptoms of a malfunctioning system.” – Theresa Mörsen, Waste & Resources Policy Officer
EU consumption of textiles has, on average, the fourth-highest impact on the environment and climate change.
The textile-to-textile recycling rate is still far too low, and fast fashion consumption has skyrocketed over the past two decades, outpacing any advancements in circularity.
Introducing mandatory Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for textiles across the EU is a key tool for holding producers accountable for the products they release onto the market. However, it remains crucial that ERP incentivises the collection, reuse, and recycling of textiles. In the long run, the EU must reshape its overarching rules for EPR.
Issues such as the eco-modulation of fees and the governance of Producer Responsibility Organisations must be urgently revised. EPR must act as a price incentive to drive better design instead of a fee that producers ‘pay to pollute’.
Specifically, our work on textiles covers the following areas:
- Waste prevention and sufficiency;
- Safe and circular material flows;
- Optimising collection, sorting, reuse, and recycling of textile waste, especially at the municipal level.
