Waste • In Europe, the circular economy in textiles is being reinvinted

To reduce textile waste production and improve its management, laws and measures that specifically regulate the textile sector’s circular economy model are being put in place, especially in Europe and China. Recent years have seen textile and clothing manufacturers in Europe increasingly accept their responsibility in the production and end-of-life treatment of their products. The EU Green Deal attempts to regulate, standardize and improve these initiatives.

• The textile industry is growing rapidly, with textile fibre production reaching 113 million tonnes in 2021
• This market expansion is ccompanied by an increase of textile waste
• The European Union has taken an important step by unveiling its circular economy strategy for the textile and clothing industry for 2030, aiming to produce better, recycle better and throw away less textile products
• Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) programmes are at the heart of circularity strategies in the European textile sector
• France is an example where the sector has been structured around EPR driven by civil society

Sales and purchases of second-hand clothing have made huge progress with users, involving both more availability and alternatives, and a change in practices. Nevertheless, selling second-hand clothing is not enough to resolve the problem of used clothing and textiles. As a result, research and innovation in the mechanical and chemical textile recycling sector are focused on boosting the performance of these activities.