Fast fashion and disposing of clothes at the end of their lives are generally considered to be the main issues in terms of textile waste. However, pre-consumer waste is another major problem. This occurs a few steps further back in the manufacturing process, and deals with all waste materials created in the supply chain when a product is being made.
Unlike post-consumer waste, it is easier to keep pre-consumer waste away from a landfill or an incinerator as the fabric or garment is essentially brand new, despite one or more repairable defects.
So, finding ways to re-use or use up the resources created is the key to creating an endless supply of materials without further depleting natural resources.
The Transition Pathway for the Textiles Ecosystem was published on 6 June 2023. It is an EU initiative which seeks to build a greener, more circular and digital future for the textiles ecosystem and to make it more resilient and competitive. The pathway, the outcome of a co-creation process with stakeholders, is a comprehensive framework that identifies specific actions. 50 actions have been outlined within eight building blocks, with a timeframe for implementation and a clear picture of the key actors involved. This is a call for commitments.
Circular Week, an international series of events dedicated to sustainable development and the circular economy, will take place this year from 23 to 29 October.
Look through the full agenda of events and sign up!
The Pop-Machina project consortium is thrilled to invite policy stakeholders and decision-makers to participate on 14 September 2023 in its upcoming International Policy Roundtable focusing on the policy recommendations and lessons learnt during the project on circular economy, the maker movement as well as their convergence.
Global biodiversity is being lost at an unprecedented rate, giving rise to a sixth mass extinction and constituting one of the core challenges of the triple planetary crisis. Biodiversity forms the foundation of life on Earth and its loss presents a systemic risk to future human survival. To reverse the biodiversity crisis, transformative systems-wide change is required.
This paper addresses an existing research gap by exploring whether the circular economy can play a role not only in halting biodiversity loss but also in regenerating it and thereby contributing to a nature-positive future. To unlock the regenerative potential of the circular economy, a coherent strategy is needed that provides incentives for all actors, notably policymakers and businesses.
The Albanian social enterprise RecycAl reuses textile waste such as leather or canvas by turning it into heavy-duty bags that could be produced at industrial scale.
This Brussels based event on 21 November 2023 will bring together industry leaders, policymakers, and innovators to explore the path towards a more sustainable and circular textile sector.
Knof is a Slovenian social enterprise with a focus on circularity and sustainability. It operates reuse boutiques, a circular laboratory and a programme for individuals and entrepreneurs supporting sustainable companies.
Siptex is the world’s first large-scale facility for sorting textiles by colour and fibre composition through near-infrared light to handle large flows and produce textile fractions suited to different recycling processes. As textile waste is a growing concern around the world, innovative solutions are required to tackle this environmental problem.
The Spanish company Jeanologia is currently spearheading the greatest challenge facing the textile industry: to achieve total dehydration and detoxification in denim industry. With Mission Zero the company is transforming the way jeans are made, from fabric to finish, minimising the use of water and chemicals to a close-to-zero target.