The STICT project

At a defining moment for European textile policy, the STICT project—‘Strengthening the Implementation of Circular Textiles Strategies in the EU’—is bringing together communities and decision-makers to establish and replicate best practices in textile waste management. Through proven local successes, STICT sets out to create a blueprint for fair and inclusive textile EPR schemes in Europe—and beyond.

Publications

Transposing textiles EPR: the EU state of play in 2025

Measuring up – first edition of ZWE’s municipal manual for circular textile systems

Our aim

At present, textile waste management in Europe has been left out in the cold; while separate collection of textile waste became a requirement for Member States on 1 January 2025, the obligation to set up national schemes for Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) will only come into force from 2027-28. This leaves European municipalities with a long list of questions and a significant funding gap, increasing the risk of inaction on an issue that is growing by the day.

It is within this critical window of opportunity that the STICT project finds itself.

What we’re doing
‘Strengthening the Implementation of Circular Textiles Strategies in the EU’—STICT for short—is a 2-year project led by Zero Waste Europe and funded by the Laudes Foundation.

STICT brings together three of Zero Waste Europe’s local members—Zero Waste Belgium, Zero Waste Estonia, and Ekologi brez meja (Slovenia)—who will be working directly with the City of Brussels (Belgium), the municipality of Saku (Estonia), and the municipality of Bled (Slovenia).

What makes this project unique is that each municipality’s work will be supported by TEXroad, who will co-develop shared datasets, metrics, and insights on textile waste flows, giving local decision-makers the evidence they need to implement successful collection and prevention models.

Our three-level strategy
By the end of 2026, we will be delivering impact at three levels:

Local level: Supporting our three partner municipalities to implement best practices for textile waste prevention that can be replicated across European municipalities
National level: Ensuring the development of national EPR schemes happens in consultation with a broader group of stakeholders—social enterprises, municipal associations, small businesses—creating systems that reflect the reality of the textile supply chain while driving real local circular systems
EU level: Keeping policymakers informed about our results and pushing for progressive, inclusive textile EPR standards

This work builds on the existing knowledge within our network, collaborating closely with members like the Fair Resource Foundation, who bring long-established expertise in textile waste and EPR.

Interested in hearing more?
Whether you’re a city official, textile sorter, or national policymaker, there’s an opportunity to get involved. We will share insights throughout the project and organise events on how to scale best practices across Europe.

Contact: Andrea Vesela, Project Lead – [email protected]