This strategy will help the EU shift to a climate-neutral, circular economy where products are designed to be more durable, reusable, repairable, recyclable and energy-efficient. It aims to ensure that the textile industry recovers from the COVID-19 crisis in a sustainable way by making it more competitive, applying circular economy principles to production, products, consumption, waste management and secondary raw materials and directing investment, research and innovation.

debate

plenary session

circular economy (T)

European Green Deal (T)

The need for an ambitious EU Strategy for sustainable textiles: extracts from the debate

SOUNDBITE (English), Virginijus SINKEVI&#268;IUS, European Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries, The textiles sector has major effects on our climate and our environment. And in fact, textiles consumption is one of the top four supply chain pressures on resource use, land use, water and green greenhouse gas emissions as a value chain. It places huge pressure on biodiversity. Many hazardous chemicals are still used in textile products and a considerable share of the microplastics is released into environment can be traced back to the source. 

SOUNDBITE (English), Virginijus SINKEVIČIUS, European Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries, We throw away clothes faster than ever before and we use them for ever shorter periods of time. And most of them end up in landfill or incineration around the world. Less than one percent, less than one percent of all textiles are now recycled into new textiles. We need encourage and support the sector to do better.

SOUNDBITE (English), Virginijus SINKEVIČIUS, European Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries, At the end of this month, as announced in the circular economy, Action Plans, the commission will adopt a new strategy for sustainable and circular textiles. It will be a strategy to strengthen innovation and reduce environmental footprint, a strategy to boost the market for sustainable and circular textiles. A strategy for increasing textile reuse and repair. Boosting circular business models and addressing fast fashion. A strategy that can also boost the competitiveness of sustainable textiles industries.

SOUNDBITE (English), Virginijus SINKEVIČIUS, European Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries, We want textiles to be more durable, recyclable and easier to reuse, repair and upgrade. That way will reduce the consumption of resources. We extend the life span of textile products and we boost the recovery of valuable materials and components. 

SOUNDBITE (English), Virginijus SINKEVIČIUS, European Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries, But more sustainable and circular design alone will not be enough. We need to reduce consumption all together, in particular in the fashion sector. And that is why we find it especially important to boost the uptake of new business models. These include, for example, more circular models like re-use, resale, repair, on demand, manufacturing and product as served. In our Sustainable Products Initiative we will propose another powerful tool which will be useful for textiles. The Digital passport, which will improve access to information about product characteristics.

SOUNDBITE (English), Virginijus SINKEVIČIUS, European Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries, It is time to rethink the structure of textiles. It is time to refashion fashion. 

SOUNDBITE (English), Christian EHLER (EPP, DE), Commissioner, to be honest, I don't believe a word.

SOUNDBITE (English), Christian EHLER (EPP, DE), Yes the sector has to change. And this sector is up for potential for for the future. That is one of the European USPs (Unique Selling Point). That is what Europe can do, where fashion is leading, where a young generation is interested, but instead announcement and another administrative nightmare. So go to action, not announce. You would have had 2,5 years, tons of money in the research programme to start innovation products. Not a single one. 

SOUNDBITE (Spanish), C&#233;sar LUENA (S&amp;D, ES), I think that the purpose of this new strategy should be a contribution to the reduction and re-use of textile products. I think that's very much what the commissioner was saying. We need better materials. We need to have less toxic materials, and we need to make sure that they last longer so clothing that can be reused, recycled, repaired, etc. and that needs to go hand in hand with a general reduction in production.

SOUNDBITE (German), Ulrike M&#220;LLER (Renew, DE), The global textile industry is in fact ranked fifth in terms of CO2 emissions. It's roughly on a par with the automotive industry. In fact, on the way to a climate neutral, circular economy, it's therefore necessary for us to really work towards a more sustainable textile economy. However, the announcements so far have mainly focussed on reuse, on recycling and on reparability. 