Textile directive coming soon
The European Commission is pushing ahead with rules to make producers responsible for the full life cycle of textile products and to support the sustainable management of textile waste across the EU. This initiative accelerates the development of the separate collection, sorting, reuse and recycling sectors for textiles. This is in line with the EU strategy for sustainable and circular textiles. It is expected to create local jobs and save money for consumers, while easing the impact of textile production on natural resources.
Extended producer responsibility to improve waste management
Through extended manufacturer responsibility (EPR), the European Commission aims to address the following:
- EPR programmes improve waste management of various products, such as packaging, batteries and electrical and electronic equipment. Producers bear the cost of managing textile waste. This also gives them incentives to reduce waste and increase the circularity of textile products by designing better products from the start. How much producers pay into the EPR scheme is adjusted according to the environmental performance of textiles; a principle known as eco-modulation.
- It makes it easier to collect textiles separately. Producer contributions finance investments in separate collection, sorting, reuse and recycling capacities. This is designed to sort used textiles for reuse or recycling. Social enterprises active in textile collection and processing benefit from increased business opportunities and a bigger market for second-hand textiles.
- EPR promotes research and development on innovative technologies for the circularity of the textile sector, such as fibre-to-fibre recycling.
- The EPR addresses the problem of illegal exports of textile waste to countries ill-equipped to manage it. The new law clarifies what is waste and what is considered reusable textiles. This will help stop the export of waste disguised as reusable textiles.
Starting in 2025, the requirement to collect textiles separately will be introduced, in line with current legislation.
