A new EU-funded project has been launched to develop a deposit-return system for used textiles across Europe. The TexMat initiative will reward consumers for returning reusable and recyclable items, while notifying producers when discarded textiles require waste management. Automated collection containers will sort items by assessing their quality and capturing key information about the materials through digital product passports, set to be introduced across the EU in the near future.

Europe faces a growing challenge with textile waste. In 2022, an estimated 6.94 million tonnes were generated — roughly 16 kg per person. Of this, around 11 kg per person was not separately collected and typically ends up mixed with household waste destined for landfill or incineration. The TexMat solution aims to change this by ensuring that the vast majority of textiles are collected for reuse or recycling, so that only a tiny fraction risks being wasted, while supporting extended producer responsibility policies.

Pilot activities in Finland and Spain will test the system in real-world settings, helping partners refine the innovations and explore how the system could be scaled across Europe.