Textiles Strategy

Overview

Yellow background with recycling symbol made of textiles.

The EU's Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles addresses the production and consumption of textiles, while recognising the importance of the textiles sector. It implements the commitments of the European Green Deal, the Circular Economy Action Plan and the European Industrial Strategy.

Textiles are the fabric of everyday life - in clothes and furniture, medical and protective equipment, buildings and vehicles. However, urgent action is needed as their impact on the environment continues to grow.

EU consumption of textiles has, on average, the fourth highest impact on the environment and climate change, after food, housing and mobility. It is also the third highest area of consumption for water and land use, and fifth highest for the use of primary raw materials and greenhouse gas emissions.

The strategy looks at the entire lifecycle of textile products and proposes coordinated action to change how we produce and consume textiles.

5 million tonnes

of clothing discarded each year in the EU - around 12kg per person

20 to 35 jobs

created for each 1000 tonnes of textiles collected for re-use

of material in clothing is recycled into new clothing

Objectives

The Textiles Strategy aims to create a greener, more competitive sector that is more resistant to global shocks. The Commission's 2030 vision for textiles is that:

All textile products placed on the EU market are durable, repairable, recyclable, and, to a great extent, made of recycled fibres, free of hazardous substances, and produced in respect of social rights and the environment
Fast fashion is out of fashion, and consumers benefit longer from high-quality, affordable textiles
Profitable re-use and repair services are widely available
The textiles sector is competitive, resilient and innovative, with producers taking responsibility for their products along the value chain, with sufficient capacities for recycling and minimal incineration and landfilling

Actions

The strategy also lays out a forward-looking set of actions. The Commission has already or will:

Set design requirements for textiles to make them last longer, easier to repair and recycle
Introduce a Digital Product Passport
Address the unintentional release of microplastics from synthetic textiles
Introduce mandatory and harmonised Extender Producer Responsibility rules for textiles in all Member States and incentivise producers to design more sustainable products
Restrict the export of textile waste and promote sustainable textiles globally
Incentivise circular business models, including reuse and repair sectors

See our circular economy, consumers, industrial emissions and safety, microplastics, plastics, sustainable development, textiles ecosystem, waste and recycling and waste shipments pages for related policies.

Implementation

Learn more below about the implementation of the strategy.

Implementation links

Timeline

Key dates related to the strategy

19 July 2030
Ban on destroying unsold textiles and footwear begins for medium-sized enterprises
19 July 2026
Ban on destroying unsold textiles and footwear begins for large enterprises
16 November 2023
European Commission publishes brochure on EU action against microplastics
See brochure
5 July 2023
European Commission adopts proposal for a targeted revision of the Waste Framework Directive
The revision is proposing to introduce mandatory and harmonised Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) schemes for textiles in all EU Member States.
Find out more in the press release.
6 June 2023
European Commission publishes Transition Pathway for the Textiles Ecosystem, co-created by the Commission and relevant actors in the sector
Find out more on the transition pathway.
22 March 2023
European Commission adopts proposal for a Directive on Green Claims
Find out more in the press release, questions and answers, and factsheet.
26 January 2023
European Commission launches ReSet The Trend campaign
Discover more about the campaign
30 March 2022
European Commission adopts proposal for Empowering Consumers in the Green Transition Directive
30 March 2022
European Commission adopts proposal for Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation
Find out more in the press release, questions and answers and factsheet.
30 March 2022
European Commission adopts EU Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles
Find out more in the press release and questions and answers.
11 March 2020
European Commission adopts Second Circular Economy Action Plan
Find out more

Contact

For questions about EU environmental policy, please contact Europe Direct.

Sustainable and Circular Textiles Strategy