Motivation 3 / 3

Oliver Milman’s Report in the Guardian from 30 Jul 2024 11.00 CEST shows that "Researchers call for immediate action to reduce methane emissions and avert dangerous escalation in climate crisis”.  Let's note that this newsletter on textile recycling is also linked to the climate crisis.  Enough motivation to take a closer look.

 

Background:

 

Fashion is becoming short-lived and cheaper than ever before. Optimized but non-transparent process chains and online trade connect customers worldwide with equally globally active suppliers.

 

More and more manufacturers and retailers are concentrating on offering products at the lowest possible price. The e-commerce company Temu, for example, is obviously doing this with great success, as it has achieved a monthly gross merchandise volume (GMV) of around one billion US dollars in the first ten months since its launch in the USA (Statista October 2023).

 

 

However, whereas in the past textiles were usually made from cotton, wool or linen, today they are rarely made from just one ingredient. Blended fabrics made from cotton and polyester, merino wool and elastane, viscose and nylon are flooding the used clothing market. They are difficult to distinguish from high-quality materials, which paradoxically also include blended fabrics. Blended fabrics made of cotton and polyester are often used for the production of high-quality sports and outdoor clothing. The natural fibers ensure high breathability and good wearing comfort. The synthetic fiber contributes the requirements for elasticity, dimensional stability and durability.

 

As a result, the processing of used clothing is becoming increasingly unclear and the collection of used clothing less interesting. Charitable collectors are withdrawing, and the local authority has to take over - according to the legislator

 

New regulations:

 

From 2025, a separate collection of used textiles will be mandatory in the European Union. This will entail the collection of considerable additional quantities, for which a sales market must be established. The system for collecting and treating used textiles, which was previously financed by the proceeds from the reuse of wearable textiles in collections, is to be financed by manufacturers in future.

 

The European Commission wants to overcome the structural crisis in the used clothing industry with the instrument of Enhanced Producer Responsibility (EPR).

 

Circular economy associations in Europe are now calling for the rapid implementation of this EU-wide EPR system for all players. They believe that the Enhanced Producer Responsibility for textiles provided for in the EU Waste Framework Directive is the key to achieving a high-quality circular economy in the European textile industry.

 

The recyclingindustry also welcomes about the Belgian Council Presidency's proposal to introduce targets for waste prevention, collection, preparation for reuse and recycling by December 31, 2028.

 

The recycling industry is calling for existing collection and recycling structures to be maintained at national level so that the measures to implement the EU waste hierarchy are not thwarted.

 

 

"All affected stakeholders, regardless of their size, must be subject to a national EPR system for textiles, according to the associations. In terms of equal treatment of all stakeholders involved in the collection and treatment of textile waste, social enterprises must also be included in this system and have the necessary permits for their activities. This is the only way to ensure that textile waste is managed in an environmentally sound manner. The role of commercial waste actors must be protected and strengthened.”

 

 

In their statement, the German associations firmly reject the European Parliament's proposal that textile sorting should be based on the principle of "geographical proximity”. "Sorting on an industrial scale requires specialized companies.”

 

The deadline of 30 months after the entry into force of the new Waste Framework Directive originally proposed by the EU Commission should also be shortened to 18 months in order to promote and strengthen the urgently needed high-quality circular economy for textiles as soon as possible.

 

 

 

At the same time as the European Environment Council, the German Association of Municipalities (VKU) also positioned itself in favor of the introduction of extended producer responsibility for textiles on June 17th, 2024. The latter is an important step towards countering the fast fashion trend with its high consumption of resources.

 

 

I think it is good and right to include manufacturers in the responsibility for the disposal of used textiles. But how should a "fast fashion stop” be defined? At what final price are the socks too cheap? What if the distributor then simply charges more?

 

It would be disastrous if recycling quotas had to be adhered to, which would require a lot of effort to comply with.

 

As the negotiations in this legislative process have already been delayed, it should be included in the compromise negotiations that

 

- the entire municipal and non-profit collection structure is financially supported by the manufacturers

 

- Municipal and non-profit collection companies retain sovereignty over their collection structure and can decide independently on the further use of the collected textiles according to market conditions

 

-   Used textiles that cannot be reused or recycled to a high standard should be recovered for energy recycling in accordance with the EU waste hierarchy.

 

In any case, the real motivation for recycling used clothing should therefore be to try to find the best possible ecological solution for each material flow. Utilising used textiles to generate energy is often better than complicated treatment processes that pollute the environment through plastic abrasion in waste water.

 

Yours,

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