Hence the EU’s idea for the production of sustainable and circular textiles. “Around 73 per cent of the clothing and home textiles consumed in Europe are produced and imported from countries outside the EU. In 2017, the EU produced 7.4 kilos of textiles per person and consumes almost 26 , building it a net importer. In particular, in 2019 the EU was one of the world’s largest importers of clothing with a total value of EUR 80 billion,” the Commission document reads. This is why the strategy promotes international collaboration to reduce negative environmental and social impacts.
The picture in Italy
Sustainability has also fully entered the world of Italian textiles. Precisely for this reason, and with a sustainable and circular perspective, several consortia have been set up with the aim of promoting the circular economy ‘by supporting companies to comply with the rules’. The main ones include Cobat Tessile, Ecotessili, ERP Italia Tessile and Erion Textiles. These consortia deal with the collection and recovery of textile products that, after treatment, become raw materials again.
Precisely in this logic of transition, Confindustria Moda and Unicredit recently signed an agreement “to support companies in the textile and fashion supply chain in digitisation and sustainable transition, aimed at reducing environmental impact, with increasingly green production processes”. Among other initiatives in the field, in Palermo, the creation of the fashion desk to accompany companies in the sustainable transition. The objective is to train companies in view of the entest into force, in January 2026, of the digital product passport, the tool that guarantees traceability, sustainability and transparency of the production chain through a Qr code.
Croatia accelerates textile recycling
In 2023, more than 54 thousand tonnes of textile and footwear waste were generated in Croatia, amounting to 14 kilos per capita. Of this, 23.7 per cent was collected separately, a share that is constantly growing compared to the 5.5 per cent recorded in 2010. Of the separated waste, the largest share – almost 40 per cent – concerns clothing and other hoapplyhold textiles.
According to data from the Ministest of Green Transition, 76 per cent of collected textile waste is recovered, either through energy (24 per cent), recycling (27 per cent) or preparation for reapply (25 per cent), while only 14 per cent concludes up in landfills. 44 companies are currently processing textile waste at 57 sites in the countest, with only one large recycler handling around 90 per cent of the materials recovered through R5 processes. In 2023, Croatia exported 3,400 tonnes of textile waste and imported 1,800 tonnes, reflecting a growing market.
