12 Jan 2021
The roadmap for the EU strategy for sustainable textiles has been published and will be open for feedback until 2 February 2021.
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Textiles, apparel and leather
12 Jan 2021
Call for proposals for textiles implementing partners in Africa - deadline extended until 25 January 2021.
Montse
07 Oct 2021
EU Commissioner Virginijus Sinkevičius will join RREUSE to explore the meaning of social value in the circular economy and whether social dynamics have been inherent factors in developing EU policies related to the green transition.
The webinar on 7 October 2021 will also focus on the way forward in ensuring that tools such as the Social Economy Action Plan and the Circular Economy Action Plan work together to create a more favourable policy and funding environment for social enterprises, safeguarding a socially fair and inclusive circular transition.
How to make grocery bags out of old t-shirts
A simple design to turn an old t-shirt into a circular grocery bag.
09 Nov 2021
The design stage will determine up to 80% of a product’s environmental impact. Designing better is key to reduce this impact. But what do these principles mean in practice for textiles? Where are the gaps in current standards and benchmarks, and how can we account for the variability of textile products when deciding on specific ecodesign criteria?
ECOS, OVAM, EMF, EuroCommerce, the Policy Hub, the Leadership Group on Textile and ECESP invite you on 9 November at 10:00 CET to this #EUCircularTalks event to discuss and expand the current Ecodesign directive to include textiles and within the upcoming EU Textile Strategy. Speakers and experts will set the scene for the forthcoming SPI and provide the theoretical framework for applying eco-design principles to textile products. Business owners will present cases of how they used these ideas in practice.
France's Anti-waste and Circular Economy Law
France’s Anti-waste and Circular Economy Law: eliminating waste and promoting social inclusion
France’s Anti-waste and Circular Economy Law is a great example of cross-sectoral collaboration. Policymakers, municipalities, NGOs and businesses worked together with the public administration to identify a richer range of needs, solutions, and policy measures. As a result, the law is ambitious and contributes to a system-wide transition towards a circular economy.
This case study by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation is part of a series of case studies that exemplify elements of the Universal circular economy policy goals (2021) in practice.
30 Sep 2021
The second annual Circular Nonwovens Forum "Shaping together the circular economy for nonwovens" creates a platform for in-depth engagement with stakeholders on the challenges and opportunities arising on the path towards the circular economy for nonwovens, with a view to collectively finding ways and means to accelerate this transition. The event has been converted into a hybrid webinar for 2021.
Ccrave: a circular lifestyle platform offering more than just the shopping experience
Ccrave is a content and ecommerce platform all in one, with a focus on waste-based and zero-waste products in the home, fashion and lifestyle categories.
Renycle: from scrap to new nylon
Renycle® is a product obtained from recycled nylon 6, a highly valued material because of its excellent resistance, dyeability, softness and versatility.
Antri Constantinou
15 Jul 2021
Join this online workshop, organised by the European Commission, focusing on the current and possible upcoming initiatives for research and development in the EU textile industry, as part of the consultative process for the development of the Strategy for Sustainable Textiles.
05 Jul 2021
The European Investment Bank has signed a loan agreement of up to €30.75 million with Renewcell. The Sweden-based fashion innovator has devised a way to turn discarded clothing into Circulose®, a pulp from which new fabric can be made. After proving their concept, Renewcell will use the loan to build their first full commercial-scale recycling plant, able to produce 60 000 tonnes per year.
21 Sep 2021
The European Commission considers the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) as a regulatory measure to promote sustainable textiles and treating textile waste under the waste hierarchy. Register now for the #EUCircularTalks on 21 September at 13:00-15:00 (CEST). OVAM, European Environmental Bureau, EuRIC, Ecopreneur.eu, Eurocommerce, and the ECESP invite you to discuss ongoing developments around setting Extended Producer Responsibility schemes for textiles.
12 Jul 2021
Join the online workshop on Traceability, the accuracy of information and market surveillance in the Textile Industry which will be held on 12 July 2021, from 10:00 to 13:00 CEST, as part of the consultative process for the development of the Strategy for Sustainable Textiles.
Circular textiles - Knitting the way to a sustainable future
Circular textiles: Knitting the way to a sustainable future
Textiles are an important issue for cities, as people generate more and more textile waste. City authorities are required to provide for separate collection of used textiles but have limited ways of putting the waste generated to good use.
Eurocities’ paper on circular textiles is published ahead of the Commission's new Strategy for Sustainable Textiles, planned for autumn 2021, to help the EU shift to a climate-neutral, circular economy (CE) where products are designed to be more durable, reusable, repairable, recyclable and energy-efficient. It focuses on a sustainable recovery of the textile sector from the Covid-19 crisis by:
- making it more competitive,
- applying CE principles to production, waste management, etc.
- and directing investment, research and innovation.
Schijvens: Circular corporate fashion
Schijvens has been producing corporate uniforms for more than 150 years now. In 2017, they began collecting customers' old clothing, shredding it and mixing the textile fibres with shredded PET-polyester ones from sportswear, fishing nets and bottles. This led to 100% recycled yarn, which is used to make new fabrics and ultimately new uniforms.
18 Jun 2021
This study aims to provide information about circular economy perspectives in the management of textile products and textile waste in the European Union. The report improves the understanding of current value chains in the manufacturing and retailing of apparel products in the EU and provides a detailed picture of material flows in the EU textile sector in a global context.
Recommendations for the EU Strategy for Sustainable Textiles from Environmental Civil Society Organisations
Environmental CSOs' Recommendations for the EU Strategy for Sustainable Textiles
This joint position paper from the Wardrobe Change coalition contains recommendations for the EU Strategy for Sustainable Textiles. It has been signed by 25 civil society organisations. The paper sets out recommendations structured around four overarching principles:
- Make sustainable textile products the norm
- Drive resource-sufficient textile consumption
- Leave the linear business model behind
- Hold the EU textile industry responsible for its role in the world.
The never-ending life cycle of a cotton gauze grocery bag
The cotton gauze grocery bag provides a unique design turning an environmentally-friendly cheesecloth gauze fabric into a sturdy mass produced grocery bag that later can easily be used at home as machine-washable cotton napkins, reusable cleaning cloth and much more.
EMMA Safety Footwear: Sustainable safety shoes
Back in 1931, EMMA was founded as a social enterprise for injured workers from the Dutch State Mines. Hence, social entrepreneurship is in the DNA of EMMA Safety Footwear. Today, EMMA still employs about 100 people who need some additional support in the labour market. Making sustainable safety shoes was, therefore, a logical next step in EMMA’s journey towards a positive footprint.
06 Jul 2021
The textile industry has also been identified as a priority sector for the EU’s move towards sustainability in the European Green Deal and the New Industrial Strategy for Europe, due to its high use of resources and high impact on the environment. The upcoming EU Strategy for Sustainable Textiles aims at shifting the European Union to a circular economy where textiles are designed to be more durable, reusable, repairable & recyclable.
On 6 July 2021, EuRIC, RREUSE, RVO, SMEunited and the ECESP are organising a #EUCircularTalks policy Q&A. Registrations are now open.
18 Jun 2021
The European Commission is organising a series of targeted stakeholder workshops to gather input on challenges and gaps as well as opportunities for the textile sector in the transition towards sustainability.
18 Jun 2021
The European Commission is organising a series of targeted stakeholder workshops to gather input on challenges and gaps as well as opportunities for the textile sector in the transition towards sustainability. The fourth workshop on 18 June 2021 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. CET will focus on “product design for sustainability in the textile value chain”.
04 Jun 2021
On 7 June 2021, the Italian G20 Presidency and the EU are organising an online workshop on Circular Fashion to inform discussions in the G20. The workshop will explore the G20’s role in promoting the circular economy in the fashion sector.
31 May 2021
The European Commission is organising a series of targeted stakeholder workshops to gather input on challenges and gaps as well as opportunities for the sector towards sustainability.
The third workshop (15 June 2021) focuses on sustainable consumption and circular business models in the textile sector.