The EU strategy for sustainable and circular textiles calls for policy interventions to reduce waste and overconsumption in this sector. However, future policies may have unintended impacts. 

This study examines the unintended effects of past and future textile policies, with the goal of evaluating scientific tools for improving ex ante impact assessments and so mitigating unintended effects in future.

It finds that the unintended impact of a policy can be just as important as the impact that it was designed to achieve. Stakeholder engagement, combined micro- and macro-economic modelling, extended consideration of the EU's resilience and the inclusion of a behavioural and social component are all key to reducing unintended impacts.