EuRIC’s Textiles Branch, the voice of Europe’s textile reuse and recycling operators, has unveiled its “EU Recyclers’ Manifesto: Increasing textiles circularity by 2030”, outlining five key policy recommendations to achieve circularity in the textile sector by 2030. With each EU citizen generating approximately 16 kg of textile waste annually, yet only 4.4 kg being separately collected for reuse and recycling, urgent measures are needed to prevent textile waste from ending up in landfills or incinerators.

EuRIC’s manifesto highlights the unprecedented crisis facing Europe’s textile collection and recycling sector, worsened by rising costs, low demand, and the impact of ultra-fast fashion. To address these and achieve textiles circularity by 2030, EuRIC Textiles calls for extending product lifecycles, increasing recycled textile fibre use, and boosting textile recycling, which is currently limited to less than 1% of materials being recycled into new clothing.

To achieve a circular textiles economy by 2030, EuRIC Textiles also urges the EU to implement key measures, including Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) schemes, ecodesign requirements, and better education through the Digital Product Passport (DPP). The manifesto also advocates for EU End-of-Waste criteria, fair-trade practices, balanced chemicals legislation, and stricter compliance monitoring to ensure transparency and prevent greenwashing.

“By creating an environment where innovation thrives and circularity is rewarded, EuRIC aims to reduce the textile sector’s environmental impact, boost textile circularity in Europe, and create new economic opportunities for reuse and recycling operators. Our Textiles Manifesto outlines the steps to achieve this”, said Mariska Boer, President of EuRIC’s Textiles Branch.

Note to editor:

For press-related enquiries, please contact Zoi Didili, EuRIC Senior Communications Advisor, by email at zdidili@euric.org or by phone at +32 (0) 489 09 46 02.  The European Recycling Industries’ Confederation (EuRIC) is the umbrella organisation for the recycling industries in Europe. Through its 75 members from 23 European countries, EuRIC represents more than 5,500 large companies and SMEs involved in the recycling and trade of various resource streams. They represent a contribution of 95 billion EUR to the EU economy and 300,000 green and local jobs. By turning waste into resources, recycling reintroduces valuable materials into value chains over and over again. By bridging circularity and climate neutrality, recyclers are pioneers in leading Europe’s industrial transition.