The EU Strategy for a Sustainable & Circular Textile Sector

The European Green Deal has identified textiles as a resource-intensive sector requiring focused action. The EU Industrial Strategy identified the textile industry as a key product value chain with an urgent need and a strong potential for the transition to sustainable and circular production, consumption and business models.

The EU 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 fibers, 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 are widely available
• 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

What is the EU strategy for sustainable and circular textiles?

In order to achieve the EU commission's vision of 2030, the EU will introduce a set of standards, requirements and frameworks. Here’s what the EU Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles means for your business: 

Setting Mandatory Ecodesign Requirements 

As product design plays a key role in extending the life of textile products, the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) will be introduced. This piece of legislation will create specific design requirements for textile products to ensure their durability, reparability, fiber to fiber recyclability and a mandatory amount of recycled fiber content.

Stopping the destruction of unsold or returned textiles

The EU is currently working on a transparency obligation for large companies to publicly disclose the number of products they discard and destroy & their further treatment regarding reuse, recycling, incineration or landfilling. 

Tackling microplastics pollution

Microplastics pollution poses a critical threat to natural ecosystems and marine environments, especially the unintentional release of microplastics through textiles made of synthetic fibers. In response, the EU is actively implementing prevention and reduction strategies to combat microplastic pollution. 

This includes introducing mandatory design requirements as outlined in the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR), alongside leveraging initiatives from the Plastics Strategy and the Zero Pollution Action Plan to strengthen efforts against this environmental challenge.

Setting product specific information requirements and introducing a Digital Product Passport 

In order to empower consumers and businesses to make more sustainable consumption choices and improve communication between supply chain partners on recyclability, repair and re-use, the EU commission will introduce a Digital Product Passport (DPP) for Textiles, as part of the ESPR. 

The DPP will contain product specific information about the circularity and other key environmental aspects of the textile product. As a result, the Textile Labeling Regulation, which requires textiles sold on the EU market to carry a label that lists the fiber composition of textiles, will be reviewed in this regard. 

Increasing the reliability of Green Claims

Making claims about the sustainability of textile products will also be regulated, making it important to reassess current communication about your product’s sustainability. 

The Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition Directive will ensure that consumers have access to reliable information about the sustainability, durability and repair process of textile products. Voluntary labels for sustainability claims, must rely on third party verification or be established by public authorities. Through the Green Claims Initiative, minimum criteria for communicating about sustainability claims will be established and the EU commission will also review the EU Ecolabel criteria for textiles and footwear

Making producers responsible for textile waste and boosting reuse and recycling efforts for textile waste

As Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) requirements have proven to be effective in improving separate collection of waste and its management, the EU will introduce an EPR for textiles under the EU waste legislation. This will include rules on waste prevention measures and the preparation of textiles for reuse.

Leveraging DPP with Tappr for EU textile regulation 

At Tappr, we recognize that navigating through the myriad of upcoming strategies, regulations, and proposals can seem daunting. Our services are tailored to simplify these complexities, by focusing on engaging product specific information regarding sustainability, circularity and social responsibility as laid out by the EU Textile strategy. We are specialized in the downstream supply chain and believe that you can leverage the upcoming requirements for the DPP and other upcoming regulations by creating a unique consumer experience and become compliant at the same time.

‍