Post-consumer textile recycling in the EUROPEAN UNION: policies to increase recycling and status quo of different recycling methods

Abstract

Each year in the European Union, about 5 million tons of clothing are discarded, equating to roughly 12-15 kg per person. Approximately 87% of this waste is classified as post-consumer waste. Despite efforts to address this issue, only around 22% of textile waste is successfully collected for recycling with merely 1% is prepared for the production cycle for new garments. Addressing this issue demands innovative solutions and concerted efforts at both individual and systemic levels to mitigate the environmental impact of clothing waste. Current policy initiatives include the EU Green Deal, the Circular Economy Action Plan, the EU textile strategy, the extended producer responsibility, eco-design requirements for sustainable products, green claims in advertising and business reports, waste shipment regulation, and the European supply chain act – also known as Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive. We present an analysis of the major policies in the European Union for the transition of the textile and apparel industry towards sustainability and highlight initiatives to increase post-consumer textile waste recycling. Furthermore, we provide an overview of innovations and investments in mechanical, chemical and biological recycling in Europe and discuss their potential effects to increase postconsumer textile waste recycling.