Europe’s Textile Recycling Sector is a Breeze Away from a Domino Effect
Europe’s textile sorting and recycling sector is in an “unprecedented crisis,” according to two regional lobbying groups.
The European Recycling Industries (EuRIC Textiles) and Municipal Waste Europe (MWE) joined forces to talk trash this week, warning EU policymakers in a joint statement of the “disastrous” domino effect looming ahead if the industry doesn’t find respite from the “immense pressures” imposed by global disruptions like the war in Ukraine, logistical challenges in Africa and the rise of ultra-fast fashion.
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While enduringly disruptive, these issues are not new.
Zero Waste Europe sounded the alarm in May with a policy brief stressing the “urgent need” to phase out forever chemicals and take on the microplastic mess, explicitly calling on local and national governments to get serious about recycling infrastructure. The German textile firm Soex waved its last white flag when it filed for administration earlier this month, potentially putting 500 people out of a job and inundating fellow used clothing collectors with even more surplus, synthetic stock.
Across the pond, the UK’s Textile Recycling Association (TRA) downright pleaded for government intervention in April to prevent the “imminent collapse” of the country’s textile recycling sector. Last month, industry heavyweights penned a white paper also urging the UK government to make moves and implement variable extended producer responsibility (EPR) fees immediately to establish a circular economy.
Even Shein invested a multi-million-dollar chunk of change into the UK and EU’s circular innovation efforts.
It begs the question: why isn’t anyone listening, and at what point will the outcry be taken seriously?
EuRIC Textiles and MWE did not respond to Sourcing Journal’s request for comment.
To recap industry sentiment: it’s a simple case of out-of-whack supply and demand. The supply of used garments is up, but it’s about as attractive as a Shein sweater that snuck into the dryer. Because the quality of the supply is lacking—and because Ghana is not the dumping ground for unwanted duds as previously thought—demand is down by double digits.
As a result, the prices for secondhand textiles have been “plummeting” while the costs of collection, sorting and recycling have been “skyrocketing” since the spring. If the price of secondhand garments can no longer cover processing costs, there is a problem. Sorting operators are cash-strapped, warehouses are overwhelmed, and as a result, more blouses are being burned, residents are paying more in waste disposal fees and downstream players are out of work.
However, these potentially “widespread bankruptcies” can be averted, the organizations said, with swift financial support and legislative intervention.
“Short-term financial incentives for EU companies that contribute significantly to a sustainable circular textile chain are needed to safeguard the industry from collapsing,” the statement reads. “Investment in recycling technologies and infrastructure, alongside targeted support for municipalities dealing with textile waste stagnation, is crucial.”
The lobby groups said they “urged” the European Union to “facilitate public-private partnerships” to foster innovation and scale up nascent technology. The Waste Framework Directive (WFD) should be revised, too, and EPR schemes are to be “rapidly implemented.”
In the mid-term, per the two groups, efforts should go toward ramping up the competition, as suggested by EU Commission president Ursula Von der Leyen’s Clean Industrial Deal and Circular Economy Act ambitions.
“We call for the mandatory inclusion of a percentage of recycled textile content—most preferably from post-consumer textiles—in all new textile products placed on the EU market, with a clear trajectory for increasing this percentage over the coming years,” the joint statement reads. “Without urgent action, Europe risks undermining its climate goals and jeopardizing the future of its textile sorting and recycling industry.”
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