The textile and apparel value chain is one of the most resource-intensive sectors, generating significant waste and relying heavily on a vulnerable workforce.
In recent years, businesses in this sector have adopted circular economy strategies to address sustainability challenges. However, most of these efforts focus on material efficiency and waste reduction, often neglecting social dimensions.
This PhD dissertation addresses this gap by exploring how to integrate social justice and equity into circular transitions at the business level. Through case studies in the Netherlands, Spain and India, it investigates how businesses can adopt circular practices inclusively and how policymakers can enable a more just circular transition.
The transition to a circular economy in the textile and apparel value chain is an opportunity to address the environmental challenges facing the industry. However, without a strong focus on social justice, this transition risks perpetuating poor working conditions, gender inequality and vulnerability for workers, particularly in low-wage, labour-intensive roles.
This policy brief identifies five key recommendations for policymakers:
Align circular economy goals with just transition principles
Identify and protect vulnerable populations
Address income disparity and strengthen labour regulations
Enhance participatory mechanisms and access to justice
Implement restorative mechanisms and support reskilling initiatives
Europe’s green and digital transitions are increasing demand for CRMs, just as geopolitical risks and trade tensions are reshaping global supply chains. The EU has been taking steps to secure and diversify supplies by building strategic partnerships with resource-rich countries, which includes recovering CRMs from mine waste and tailings.
The Western Balkans region is a natural partner: they are integrated into EU markets and transport networks and have a legacy of old industrial sites and mine tailings.
This study recommends mapping mining waste, linking local actors more closely to EU instruments and initiatives, and using the EU accession process to advance regulatory and administrative alignment on mining, waste management and water protection with the EU acquis.
Hazards Out! aims to raise awareness about the mandatory separate collection of household hazardous waste and support local authorities and other relevant stakeholders with establishing effective management strategies for it.
This workshop will focus on the operational aspects of HHW management, exploring how hazardous household waste is safely transported, temporarily stored, treated, and, where possible, recovered.
AIMPLAS, the Plastics Technology Centre, has prepared an interesting article about contaminants in wastewaste. See how policymakers have updated the legislative framework for wastewater treatment, water reuse and the control of emerging contaminants.
This study assesses the potential to enhance the circularity of bio-based waste within the framework of the 2025 update of the EU Bioeconomy Strategy.
It focuses on identifying opportunities to move bio-based waste streams up the waste hierarchy, retain technical and economic value and minimise environmental impacts. This refers to bio-based waste which could potentially be recycled into new materials or substances.
The study maps waste generation, collection, treatment and reporting practices across the EU and the technologies for managing biowaste.
It finds that better separate collection and development of high-value recovery pathways could reduce environmental pressures, greenhouse gas emissions and import dependence, though technological feasibility and scalability remain uncertain.
This report supports the implementation of the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation within the framework of the European Green Deal and the Circular Economy Action Plan 2.0.
Prepared by the Joint Research Centre for the Directorate-General for Environment, it draws on contributions from external contractors, over 25 000 EU citizens and more than 250 expert stakeholders. The study addresses the fragmentation of waste-sorting labels across Member States, a key barrier to efficient recycling and the functioning of the internal market.
The technical proposal sets out a harmonised system of waste-sorting labels for packaging and receptacles across the EU, geared to removing market barriers while ensuring that consumers receive clear, consistent and actionable sorting instructions.
The FertiCovery project focuses on nutrient recovery and the production of fertilisers from biowaste, manure and wastewater.
This workshop will bring together project partners and stakeholders to review, discuss and validate the final list of indicators which will serve as the basis for benchmarking nutrient recycling and biobased fertiliser production technologies.
This Nordic Track session will give key insights from the Circular Build Forum, provide an overview of the Nordic Circular Construction project and launch the Nordic Community for Circular Construction.
Learn how the Nordic Circular Construction project intends to scale commercially viable circular construction solutions across the Nordic markets!
A new EU-funded project has been launched to develop a deposit-return system for used textiles across Europe. Known as TexMat, the initiative will reward consumers for returning reusable and recyclable items, while notifying producers when discarded textiles require waste management.
