In March 2022 the European Commission presented an EU strategy for sustainable and circular textiles. The strategy is part of the 2020 circular economy action plan and includes in particular actions under the new regulation on ecodesign requirements for sustainable products and the new directive empowering consumers for the green transition directive (see separate files).

The new circular economy action plan identified textiles as a key product value chain that requires urgent EU action due to its high use of resources and high impact on the environment. According to the European Environment Agency (EEA), textile consumption in Europe has the fourth highest impact on the environment, after food, housing and transport.

The strategy presents the Commission’s vision for the textile industry and lists a number of key actions the Commission intends to take on. By 2030, textiles on the EU market should be durable and recyclable, largely made of recycled fibres, free of hazardous substances and produced in an environmentally friendly way while respecting social rights. Fast fashion should be ‘out of fashion’ and re-use and repair services would be widely available. Textiles should be collected at the end of their lifetime and their incineration and landfilling reduced to a minimum thanks to innovative fibre-to-fibre recycling.

The Commission will revise the textile labelling Regulation to introduce specifications for physical and digital labelling of textiles, including sustainability and circularity parameters based on requirements under the proposed Regulation on eco-design for sustainable products. 

The Commission has carried out a stakeholder public consultation from 19 December 2023 to 15 April 2024, with a view to collecting evidence in relation to the functioning of the current Regulation regarding pre-identified problems and to seek opinions on envisaged solutions.

The revision of the regulation, initially planned to be published in the 4th quarter, is delayed. In the Commission Work Programme 2025, published on 11 February 2025, the revision has not been included among the planned deliveries for 2025.

References:

• European Commission, 2023 Commission work programme, 2022
• European Commission, EU strategy for sustainable and circular textiles, COM(2022)141
• European Commission, Textile labelling rules (revision)

Other relevant files in the European Parliament legislative train page

• European Parliament, legislative train,  EU textile strategy

Further reading:

• European Parliament, EPRS, Textiles and the environment, Briefing, May 2022
• European Parliament, EPRS, Environmental impact of the textile and clothing industry: What consumers need to know, Briefing, January 2019
• European Parliament, EPRS, Textile workers in developing countries and the European fashion industry: Towards sustainability?, Briefing, July 2020

Author: Stefano Spinaci, Members' Research Service, legislative-train@europarl.europa.eu

Visit the European Parliament homepage on circular economy and climate change.