Europe says no more throwaway clothes. No more producing to consume senselessly. No more wasting resources. And enough of mistreating the planet with clothes that we only wear once. Around the world, every second a truckload of textiles is thrown into a landfill or incinerated.
Every European throws away 11 kilos of clothing a year. Poor-quality, fast-fashion clothing is polluting the planet. Textile products are the fourth sector with the greatest impact on the environment and climate change, behind food, housing and mobility. It is also the third sector in terms of water and land use, and the fifth in terms of use of primary raw materials and greenhouse gas emissions.
To avoid this waste, the European Commission has presented the EU Strategy on Sustainable and Circular Textile Products, which includes new design requirements for clothing and sets mandatory minimums for the inclusion of recycled fibers in textiles. In addition, clothing must be durable and easy to repair and recycle.
Fast Fashion
The textile sector is far behind in recycling. Now only 1% of textiles thrown away in Europe are recycled and used to make new garments. The European Commission is also proposing to ban the destruction of unsold products under certain conditions, such as unsold or returned textiles.
The European Commission plans to put an end to the export of textile waste. Textile waste will only be allowed to be exported to non-OECD countries under certain conditions. Countries must notify the Commission that they wish to import this waste and demonstrate their ability to manage it sustainably, thus preventing the waste from being misleadingly labeled as second-hand goods when exported out of the EU.
The Commission includes the development of specific criteria at the community level to clearly distinguish between waste and second-hand textile products. Around 73% of the clothing and household textiles consumed in Europe is produced and imported from non-EU countries.
Specifically, in 2019 the EU was one of the world's largest importers of clothing, with a combined value of €80 billion. Global textile production almost doubled between 2000 and 2015, and consumption of clothing and footwear is expected to increase by 63% between now and 2030.
Apparel Brands that Are Responding Accordingly
Global retail giant H&M's goal is to manufacture garments only from sustainable materials by 2030, and has been launching collections made from recycled materials or materials with less environmental impact, such as recycled polyester for dresses, shirts, knitwear and coats.
Sports brand Adidas has shown its deep commitment to reducing textile waste with its certifications of the Global Recycled Standard as well as the Recycled 100 Claim Standard, by Textile Exchange. Adidas also uses plastic collected from the ocean and coastal areas, which is then converted into a yarn fiber used in its collections called ECONYL®.
American designer and sustainable fashion pioneer Eileen Fisher has demonstrated a longstanding commitment to making a positive impact. In addition to its Green Eileen clothing recycling line, the company has launched the "No Excuses" campaign for a more natural and responsible fashion industry with an ecological conscience.