EU textiles body requests mandatory recycled content
Recycling Europe Textiles has made proposals to the European Commission.
Recycling Europe Textiles (formerly EuRIC Textiles), the textile reuse and recycling branch of Recycling Europe, have expressed support for the European Commission’s forthcoming Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) in a position paper.
The organisation recognises the ESPR as a critical opportunity to introduce measures that drive circularity in the European textile sector. It requests that the regulation includes mandatory recycled content requirements for textile products.
It is calling on the Commission to adopt a narrow, targeted definition of ‘recycled content’, introduce progressive and mandatory recycled content requirements, set up a robust and credible verification system, and leverage Digital Product Passports for increased traceability and information for consumers.
In its paper, Recycling Europe Textiles reports that ‘mandatory ecodesign requirements for recycled content are essential to structurally shift the textile value chain towards circularity and to strengthen the recycling industry’.
It also highlights pressure on the European textile collecting, sorting and recycling industry due to an ‘oversupply of low-quality textile waste, insufficient demand for recycled textile fibres and funding gaps’, as well as rising clothing consumption driven by ultra-fast fashion paired with low market demand for recycled fibres.
Recycling Europe Textiles suggests well-designed recycled content requirements can address these challenges by sending strong signals to the market, creating demand for recycled fibres and unlocking investments for scaling up recycling technologies in Europe.
An executive summary of the position paper, featuring a more detailed description of the organisation’s requests, can be viewed on Recycling Europe’s website.
