The EU strategy for sustainable and circular textiles on the production and consumption of textiles has been announced.
The European Commission on Wednesday presented a new strategy 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 'EU strategy for sustainable and circular textiles' essentially works through three frameworks: the European Green Deal, the new circular economy action plan, and the industrial strategy.
The Objectives and Actions
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;
- profitable re-use and repair services widely available; and,
- 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.
The Strategy is insistent on action. The Commission will:
- set design requirements for textiles to make them last longer, easier to repair and recycle;
- introduce clearer information on textiles and a digital product passport;
- empower consumers and tackle greenwashing by ensuring the accuracy of companies’ green claims;
- stop overproduction and overconsumption, and discourage the destruction of unsold or returned textiles;
- harmonise EU Extender Producer Responsibility rules for textiles and economic incentives to make products more sustainable;
- address the unintentional release of microplastics from synthetic textiles;
- address the challenges from the export of textile waste;
- adopt an EU Toolbox against counterfeiting by 2023;
- publish a transition pathway by the end of 2022—an action plan for actors in the textiles ecosystem to successfully achieve the green and digital transitions and increase its resilience.
The Backdrop and the Way Ahead
The EC recognised that European consumption of textiles had the fourth highest impact on the environment and climate change, after food, housing and mobility. It was also recognised as the third highest area of consumption for water and land use, and fifth highest for the use of primary raw materials.
Fast fashion needs to go. So, companies will have to:
- reduce the number of collections per year, and
- take responsibility and act to minimise their carbon and environmental footprints.
Member States have been advised to adopt favourable taxation measures for the reuse and repair sector. The Commission will promote the shift also with awareness-raising activities.
