The Go Circular Summit brings together stakeholders from across the plastics value chain to review regulatory developments, exchange information on current practices and innovations, and discuss approaches to advancing circularity in Europe.
There will also be a preconference day focusing on textiles recycling!
This conference will present leading solutions and innovations for replacing fossil carbon with biomass, CO₂ utilisation and recycling.
There will be three days of discussions and presentations, focusing on the defossilisation of the chemical industry, fossil-free plastics, and policies, frameworks and regenerative business models.
This strategy positions circularity as pivotal for Ireland's economic competitiveness, environmental sustainability and social wellbeing.
It aims to take Ireland from a linear model to a regenerative, closed-loop system where materials are kept in use for as long as possible. Actions and targets for specific sectors (construction, agriculture, retail, packaging, textiles & electronic equipment) are included, with a view to reducing material resource consumption and boosting repair, reuse and re-usable products and materials.
Core objectives:
Raise Ireland’s circular material use rate from 2.7%
Support economic expansion
Enhance competitiveness and innovation
Enhance social equity
Empower people
Actively support local authorities
Establish digitalisation as an enabler of the circular economy
Theseus H4C is a Horizon project which brings together industry, city authorities and research organisations in order to co-create innovative circular solutions for managing resources, waste, energy, water, infrastructure and networks.
The European Commission has just adopted new measures to prevent the destruction of unsold apparel, clothing, accessories and footwear and so curb the resulting mountain of waste. See what the measures entail!
On 29 January, the European Committee of the Regions hosted Municipal Waste Europe for a partnership event on textile waste, taking stock of the first year of mandatory separate collection of textile waste in the EU.
Speakers discussed challenges on the supply and demand sides, along with the role of policy. Read all about it!
The Textiles Recycling Expo will focus on solving the pressing issue of textile waste, including the recycling of fabrics, clothing, footwear, fibres and non-wovens. It will feature the latest sorting, shredding and recycling technologies, pioneering textile recyclers, and fibre and fabric manufacturers using reclaimed materials.
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
This side session will introduce the EU Textiles Ecosystem Platform, a European Commission initiative designed to support stakeholders across the textiles ecosystem value chain. Find out what it is and how it works!
