EuRIC Textiles
Importance of textiles' re-use and recycling
Textiles and clothing are essential to our everyday life. Since 1975, the global production of textile fibers has almost tripled. Textile fibers are mostly synthetic (60%), with polyester being the most widely used fiber. Cotton is the most widely used organic fiber but accounts only for 37% of the fibers used. Textiles are the fourth largest contributor to resource’s use and greenhouse gas emissions accounting respectively for the share of textiles consumed in the EU-28 to 1321kg/person and 654kg CO2-eq/person in 20171.
Textiles re-use and recycling activities contribute to preserve textile fibers in the circular economy and save the equivalent of up to 98% of CO2 when compared with the use of virgin materials2. They therefore play a vital role to enhance the circularity of textiles.
1ETC/WMGE 2019/6, Textiles and the environment in a circular economy (2019), European Environment Agency.
2Impact Assessment of ADEME & FEDEREC assessing recycling environmental benefits based on a LCA approach, April 2017.
Benefits
EuRIC Textiles aims at promoting, representing and protecting the collective interests of the European textiles re-use and recycling industry. This industry consists of companies and organizations who collect, sort for re-use and recycling, transport and market used textiles, shoes and accessories. The Textiles Branch was founded in 2019 when textiles re-use and recycling became one of the top priorities within the European Union.
EuRIC Textiles Members are national re-use and recycling federations as well as companies in lieu active throughout Europe in the field of collecting and processing post-consumer textiles.
The primary focus of EuRIC Textiles will be:
- Monitoring the implementation of the EU’s Textiles Strategy;
- Promoting extended producer responsibility (EPR) for new textiles with eco-modulation of fees;
- Supporting eco-design criteria for textiles;
- Encouraging end-of-waste (EoW) criteria for textiles which have been prepared for re-use;
- Foster recycled content targets for textiles to pull the demand for quality recycled fibers.
Objectives
EuRIC Textiles Branch's main objectives are:
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To monitor and analyze at EU level all legal, environmental, economic and technical issues relating to the collection, sorting, preparing for re-use, recycling, transporting and marketing of used textiles, shoes and accessories.
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To ensure a proper representation of the European textile re-use and recycling sector to the European institutions and liaise with relevant private associations inside and outside the EU.
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To provide expert inputs on any EU policy and regulatory initiative which could have an impact on the collection, sorting, preparing for re-use, recycling, transporting and marketing of used textiles, shoes and accessories.
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To promote a fit-for-purpose regulatory framework which incentivizes the re-use and recycling of used textiles, shoes and accessories.
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To maintain a link between the European national member federations, in strict observance of relevant legal requirements.
EuRIC Textiles Branch Members