The European Commission’s Joint Research Centre has sounded the alarm over Member States’ readiness for 2025 textile collection rules. Italy, Czechia and Romania generate large volumes of recyclable fabrics, yet weak sorting, low market incentives and infrastructure bottlenecks undermine progress. Unless countries act quickly, the EU’s push for a circular textile economy stands in the danger of being stalled by uneven national systems and reliance on export-dependent reuse pathways.
- The study underlines how post-consumer textiles are increasingly diverted into international trade, underscoring the reliance on export markets for reuse channels.
- Researchers noted that export destinations remain critical in absorbing textile flows, but reliance on this pathway creates uncertainty for long-term circularity within the EU.
- The report, Fate and Composition of Textile Waste from Italy, the Czech Republic and Romania, by the European Commission Joint Research Centre, was published recently.
THE STUDY: The Circle Economy Foundation was commissioned this research to characterise textile waste in Italy, the Czech Republic and Romania. Using a train-the-trainer methodology, partners collected 18 tonnes of post-consumer textiles between 2023 and 2024. Findings confirm a largely recyclable composition dominated by blends and cotton-rich materials, but collection inefficiencies and inconsistent standards prevent full exploitation of the recycling potential identified by the research teams across the three countries examined.
- On average, more than 65% of analysed textiles were fibre blends or cotton-rich materials, and their composition would technically allow fibre-to-fibre recycling.
- Roughly 40% of textiles intended for re-use remained within the EU market, while 22–23% entered recycling streams.
- Approximately 75% of textiles exported outside the EU for reuse showed no defects, though 25% displayed noticeable quality issues.
- Municipal waste streams revealed that textiles represented 7–14% of volume, showing clear inefficiencies in separate collection mechanisms.
- The study demonstrates that waste characteristics are not the barrier; instead, inadequate infrastructure and sorting standards hinder circular textile development.
WHAT’S AT STAKE: Despite high recyclability potential, the countries studied face serious consequences if systemic issues persist. Limited infrastructure, market instability, and quality inconsistencies threaten the viability of circular textile value chains. Market instability and quality inconsistencies continue to weaken the business case for scaling textile recycling in Eastern and Southern Europe.
- Up to 14% of Romanian mixed municipal waste contained textiles, the highest proportion recorded in the countries examined during the study.
- Textile items in mixed municipal waste exhibited less than 10% re-use potential and only 24% recyclability under current infrastructure conditions.
- Recyclers’ continued reliance on post-industrial inputs illustrates how weak demand leaves post-consumer textiles marginalised in value chains.
- Inadequate infrastructure, insufficient incentives, and volatile markets make it financially unattractive to scale sorting for recycling operations across Eastern and Southern Europe.
WHAT THE DATA SHOWS: The study provides detailed evidence on textile waste volumes, collection rates, and material composition across Italy, the Czech Republic and Romania. Data confirms that collection systems capture only a fraction of post-consumer textiles, while large amounts end up in mixed municipal waste streams. Material analysis indicates cotton, polyester, and blended fabrics dominate the waste profile, presenting both opportunities and challenges for scaling textile recycling solutions across these regions.
- Italy generated over 600,000 tonnes of textile waste in 2021, but the study notes that separate collection systems captured only part of the overall volume.
- Czechia generated 78,000 tonnes of textile waste in 2021, though large portions were still identified in mixed municipal waste streams.
- Romania lacked a formal separate collection system at the time of the study, which limited visibility into the overall scale and composition of textile waste.
- Polyester and polyester-rich fabrics represented a significant share of waste streams, alongside cotton and blended textiles.
- Textiles destined for recycling fetched between 0.1 and 0.4 euros per kg, highlighting how low feedstock value constrains business cases for investment.
