The future of textiles: achieving a circular economy
Textiles are an intrinsic part of modern life, providing us not only with clothing and footwear but also carpets, curtains and fabrics for homes, offices and public buildings. The textiles industry is one of the world’s largest industrial sectors and forms an important part of Europe’s manufacturing base. Within the EU, the sector employs 1.3 million(opens in new window) people with a turnover of EUR 170 billion and over EUR 64 billion in exports. Every European citizen uses on average 26 kg of textiles each year and throws away 11 kg. While the market for second-hand clothes in the EU is growing – and some are exported for reuse outside the EU – a significant portion still ends up being incinerated or sent to landfill. Currently, in the EU, textile production and consumption have the highest negative impact on the environment and climate change after food, housing and transport. These impacts include overusing natural resources, water, land and chemicals, and releasing greenhouse gases and pollutants. In 2022, the EU has adopted an overarching strategy, the EU strategy for sustainable and circular textiles(opens in new window) which focuses on eco-design, waste and pollution prevention, safe and bio-based materials, circular material flows and responsible supply chains. The strategy also covers new business models such as renting clothes, designing products in a way that would make reuse and recycling easier, and convincing consumers to buy clothes of better quality that last longer. The revised Waste Framework Directive(opens in new window) focused on the separate collection of textile waste by ensuring textiles are reused, recycled and ultimately given a new life, thereby promoting a circular economy. Meanwhile, in the first Work Plan for the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR)(opens in new window), textiles apparel was selected among the priority product groups for developing the ecodesign criteria. In response, the EU has funded a growing number of research and innovation projects on textile sustainability and circularity. Different Horizon calls have been launched to further develop technologies and processes to scale up repair; improve collection and sorting; scale up textile recycling capacities of the EU industry; and increase fibre-to-fibre recycling and the uptake of recycled fibre content. This is a result of the EU’s growing focus on the sustainable transition of the EU economy and society as part of the European Green Deal(opens in new window). The European Community of Practice for a Sustainable Textile Ecosystem network (ECOSYSTEX)(opens in new window) shares among participating projects the latest developments and results of EU research and innovation. It also organises dissemination activities to ensure that the interested public expert community can be informed about latest developments, plus results of EU research and innovation projects. The second edition of this CORDIS Results Pack showcases nine Horizon research projects focused on optimising resource use and minimising waste across the entire textile production and consumption cycle. The Glaukos project tackled ocean pollution by plastics from textiles and fishing gear by developing bio-based textile fibres and textile coatings. The New Cotton project applied chemical recycling technology to pioneer a revolutionary method for converting discarded textiles into a unique new textile fibre that looks and feels like cotton. HEREWEAR valorised three waste streams, seaweed, manure and straw to produce man-made cellulosic fibre that can be used instead of cotton. The MY-FI project developed non-woven fabrics made of mycelium fibres for the textile industry (mycelium leather), which provide an alternative to plant-based and animal-based products. SCIRT improved the quality of recycled yarn by developing technologies for accurately sorting and trimming textiles at high speed and a True Cost Calculator for assessing a garment’s real societal cost. The TRICK project investigated blockchain data traceability, uncovering many underlying issues that need to be addressed in the textile value chain to ensure effective textile traceability. Meanwhile T-REX piloted an EU-based circular textile value chain for post-consumer textile waste, and CISUTAC developed and implemented three semi-industrial-scale pilots to increase textile circularity in Europe. Finally, tExtended created a knowledge-based blueprint for the optimised circular flow of textiles for a more eco-friendly textile ecosystem. The results of these projects will enable the EU to remain competitive and prosperous, while maintaining its global leadership in a world-beating, sustainable, high-value manufacturing sector.
