02 / REUSE ECONOMY

Textiles

A reuse economy offers an opportunity to address the environmental, social, and economic challenges associated with the textile industry while promoting sustainability, circularity, and community resilience.

BROWSE resources
THE SECTOR AT A GLANCE

The fourth-largest source of environmental pressure — and a moment to change course.

Textile products are the fourth largest source of environmental pressure after food, housing, and transport.

The textile supply chain is responsible for 15% of primary raw material consumption in EU households — and the rise of fast fashion has led to overconsumption and increased volumes of low-quality textiles unsuitable for reuse or recycling.

  • 01

    Collect & sort

    Reusing textiles is the most sustainable approach to closing the textile loop. Textiles can be repaired, resold, and upcycled through collection and sorting.

  • 02

    Repair & upcycle

    A reuse economy focuses on extending the lifespan of textiles through repair and refurbishment.

  • 03

    Train & employ

    Social enterprises for textiles play a crucial role in providing essential skills training and employment.

  • 04

    Resell locally

    Local second-hand clothing markets keep textiles in use for longer, and deliver social benefits through local employment, training, and community-based reuse initiatives.

  • 05

    Produce Less

    By keeping clothing in circulation for longer we can reduce the need to produce new textiles.

The textile sector, today.

The rise of fast fashion has led to overconsumption and increased volumes of low-quality textiles unsuitable for reuse or recycling. There is a lack of pre-consumer textile sytems and a lot of downcycling. To address this, a reuse economy focuses on extending the lifespan of textiles through repair, refurbishment, and resale, diverting them from landfills and incinerators.

Resource efficiency and circularity are crucial for a sustainable textile supply chain, mitigating environmental and social impacts like labor exploitation and unethical production practices. Textile reuse systems create employment opportunities, support local communities, and foster social cohesion.

PER EU CITIZEN / YEAR

26kg

of textiles are consumed on average by EU citizens per year, with 81% EU citizens consume an average of 26 kg of textiles per year.

Clothing makes up 81% of textile consumption. Globally, 73% of textiles end up in landfill or incineration, and the textile supply chain is responsible for 15 % of primary raw material consumption in EU households

WHO IS WORKING ON TEXTILE REUSE

Who is working on reusing textiles

Reusing textiles locally is the most sustainable approach to closing the textile loop while creating local jobs. Social enterprises in the textile reuse sector  focus on implementing the textile waste hierarchy and respecting the proximity principle, extending the lifespan of textile products and fostering local skills development each — generates between 20 and 35 jobs per 1,000 tonnes of textiles collected for reuse.

RESOURCES

Reports, briefs & movement voices

Packaging

The Business Case for Reusable Packaging

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Packaging

The Business Case for Reusable Packaging

Lorem Ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nunc vulputate libero et velit interdum, ac aliquet odio mattis.

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Packaging

The Business Case for Reusable Packaging

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Packaging

The Business Case for Reusable Packaging

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Packaging

The Business Case for Reusable Packaging

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Textiles

Open letter: Textile Emergency Action Plan needed quickly

Zero Waste Europe

In this open letter, RREUSE, ACR+, and ZWE call on EU and national policymakers to take urgent action to prevent the collapse of the used textile value chain. In less than two months, separate textile waste collection will become mandatory in the EU.

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Textiles

How to collect, sort, and reuse textile waste locally?

Zero Waste Europe

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Textiles

Joint statement on Extended Producer Responsibility for Textiles

Zero Waste Europe

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