EU strategy for sustainable and circular textiles

The problem of the unsustainable state of the global textile and fashion industry is impossible to solve without applying strict rules and regulations. And even if the European market decides on regulation for textiles being produced inside the EU, the problem will persist since most of the textiles consumed within the EU borders are not produced there. If regulations are to be effective and change the way production is carried out globally the EU has to regulate all imported textiles as well. 

The EU Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles sets out the vision and concrete actions to ensure that by 2030 textile products placed on the EU market are long-lived and recyclable, made as much as possible of recycled fibres, free of hazardous substances and produced in respect of social rights and the environment. LINK 
The basic idea is that consumers will benefit longer from high quality textiles, fast fashion should be out of fashion, and economically profitable re-use and repair services should be widely available. In a competitive, resilient and innovative textiles sector, producers have to take responsibility for their products along the value chain, including when they become waste. In this way, the circular textiles ecosystem will be thriving, and be driven by sufficient capacities for innovative fibre-to-fibre recycling, while the incineration and landfilling of textiles has to be reduced to the minimum.

The specific measures will include
  • ecodesign requirements for textiles
  • clear information
  • a Digital Product Passport
  • a mandatory EU extended producer responsibility scheme.
 
This legislation also targets the unintentional release of microplastics from textiles, the accuracy of green claims, and boosting circular business models, including reuse and repair services. To combat “fast fashion”, the strategy also calls on companies to reduce the number of collections per year, take responsibility and act to minimise their carbon and environmental footprints, and on member states to adopt favourable taxation measures for the reuse and repair sector. The Commission will also promote the shift with awareness-raising activities. LINK 

The strategy also aims to provide support for the textiles producers ecosystem throughout its transformative journey. Therefore, the Commission seeks to co-create a transition pathway for the textiles ecosystem. This is an essential collaborative tool to help the ecosystem to recover from negative impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic which have been affecting companies in their daily operations for the last three years. It will also strengthen their capacities to withstand both fierce global competition and future shocks affecting their long-term survival. All actors in the industry are encouraged to take active part in the co-creation process through their commitments on circularity and circular business models, actions to strengthen sustainable competitiveness, digitalisation and resilience, and identification of specific investments needed for the twin transition.

By looking at the entire lifecycle of textile products and proposing actions to change how we produce and consume textiles, the Strategy presents a new approach, addressing these issues in a harmonised manner.

The purpose of the EU Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles from 30 March 2022 is to make textiles more durable, repairable, reusable and recyclable, to tackle fast fashion, textile waste and the destruction of unsold textiles, and ensure their production takes place in full respect of social rights. The package includes a proposal on new rules to empower consumers in the green transition so that consumers are better informed about the environmental sustainability of products and better protected against greenwashing.

Key actions in the Textiles Strategy
  • Set design requirements for textiles to make them last longer, easier to repair and recycle, as well as requirements on minimum recycled content Introduce clearer information and a Digital Product Passport 
  • Tackle greenwashing to empower consumers and raise awareness about sustainable fashion 
  • Reverse overproduction and overconsumption, and discourage the destruction of unsold or returned textiles 
  • Propose mandatory Extended Producer Responsibility for textiles with eco-modulation of fees 
  • Address the unintentional release of microplastics from synthetic textiles 
  • Restrict the export of textile waste and promote sustainable textiles globally 
  • Incentivize circular business models, including reuse and repair sectors 
  • Encourage companies and Member States to support the objectives of the Strategy

What is greenwashing?
Consumers lack reliable information about how sustainable a product is, and often are confronted with misleading commercial practices like greenwashing. Therefore clear rules for companies to substantiate the environmental impacts or benefits of their products or organisations are needed!

The European Commission has made a video explaining the new strategy in relation to greenwashing and how to label goods in the future. LINK
 

The strategy aims to create a greener, more competitive sector that is more resistant to global shocks. The Commission's 2030 Vision for Textiles is that:
  • all textile products placed on the EU market are durable, repairable and recyclable, to a great extent made of recycled fibres, free of hazardous substances, produced in respect of social rights and the environment
  • ”fast fashion is out of fashion” and consumers benefit longer from high quality affordable textiles LINK 
  • profitable re-use and repair services widely available
  • the textiles sector is competitive, resilient and innovative with producers taking responsibility for their products along the value chain with sufficient capacities for recycling and minimal incineration and landfilling

Microplastic
The European Union will also be releasing a briefing specifically about Microplastic in the textile production. You can find the briefing here when it come out: LINK

The main finding of the briefing is: 
  • Over 14 million tonnes of microplastics have accumulated on the world’s ocean floor according to research estimates. The amounts are increasing every year — causing harm to ecosystems, animals and people.
  • About 8% of European microplastics released to oceans are from synthetic textiles — globally, this figure is estimated at 16-35%. Between 200,000 and 500,000 tonnes of microplastics from textiles enter the global marine environment each year.
  • The majority of microplastics from textiles are released the first few times textiles are washed. Fast fashion accounts for particularly high levels of such releases because fast fashion garments account for a high share of first washes, as they are used for only a short time and tend to wear out quickly due to their low quality.
  • It is possible to reduce or prevent the release of microplastics from textiles, for instance by implementing sustainable design and production processes and caretaking measures that control microplastic emissions during use, and by improving disposal and end-of-life processing.

See more about microplastics in Chapter 5: Plastic Waste


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