Ref. Ares(2022)5114864 - 13/07/2022
DG GROW
Meeting between Cssr Breton, European Environmental Bureau (EEB) and other NGOs
Brussels, 23 March 2022
EU Textiles Strategy
Name of Cabinet Member: Anna ABLAZEVICA
Name of the Director who has cleared the briefing: Valentina Superti
BASIS request ID: Room, time: Participants: Name of main contact person: Telephone number: Directorate/Unit:
MINI BRIEFING NOTE
Background information
Include relevant key number, facts and figures.
• Turnover in 2019: €162 bil ion. 2020: €139.8 billion.
• Provisional data for Jan. to Nov. 2021: Turnover for textiles +13% and for clothing +9.8%.
The EU Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles
• The Circular Economy Action Plan and the updated Industrial Strategy identify textiles as
a key product value chain with an urgent need and strong potential for the transition to
sustainable and circular production and business models.
• The upcoming EU Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles aims at strengthening
competitiveness and innovation, boosting the market for sustainable and circular
textiles, increasing textile reuse, and addressing fast fashion. It also covers Social aspects,
including working conditions.
• The Strategy is based on 3 main pillars – key actions, enablers and the EU/international
dimension.
• The 1st pil ar with the key actions focuses on eco-design requirements, information
requirements, measures to address the release of microplastics, green claims, extended
producer responsibility and stopping the destruction of unsold/returned textiles.
• The 2nd pil ar with the enablers includes supporting research, innovation and
investments, developing the skil s needed for the green and digital transitions and
strengthening the social component of the textiles ecosystem, addressing
overconsumption, ensuring a well-functioning internal market, as wel as launching the
Transition Pathway for the Textiles Ecosystem.
• The 3rd pil ar focuses on due diligence, addressing the chal enges from the export of
textile waste and harnessing international action.
• A new approach to design is a central element of the Strategy, in view of making textiles
more durable, and easier to repair and upgrade; and of boosting the recovery of valuable
materials and components at the end-of-life stage. It means better material efficiency, a
reduced environmental footprint, and a longer life. Acting at the design phase makes it
easier to choose materials that contain safe chemicals and recycled fibres. It will also be
an attempt to reduce the unwanted release of microplastics coming from textiles.
Textiles are a key value chain in the
upcoming Ecodesign Regulation for Sustainable
Products. As foreseen in the European Green Deal, the intention is to ensure that
sustainable products become the norm, contributing to the climate-neutral Europe by
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2050 objective.
• Both of these initiatives – the Textiles Strategy and the Ecodesign Regulation for
Sustainable Products – wil also support the uptake of new business models. More
circular models, like resale, repair and ‘Product as a Service,’ which all perform more
sustainably than linear models.
• The Ecodesign Regulation for Sustainable Products also proposes the
Digital Product
Passport that wil improve access to information about product characteristics. That way
all economic actors can make decisions that are better informed. It will enable better
transparency and traceability throughout the value chain, which is particularly important
for textiles
• Action on the supply chain needs to be coupled with initiatives to empower consumers in
their purchase choices. That is why the Commission is also preparing a legislative
proposal on Green Claims, that wil be presented later this year. Moreover, in order to
ensure accurate information to consumers, the Commission will also
review the Textile
Labelling Regulation, by assessing the introduction of mandatory disclosure for different
types of information, such as sustainability and circularity parameters, in coherence with
the new Ecodesign Regulation for Sustainable Products.
• Another important element is the recent (23 February 2022) legislative
proposal for a
Directive on Corporate Sustainability due diligence which aims at fostering sustainable
and responsible corporate behaviour throughout global value chains, including in
textiles.
• The new Strategy wil translate into new ways of doing business, different patterns of
consumption, better technologies for recycling, and products that are durable and
reparable.
• The Textile Strategy is scheduled for adoption on 30 March 2022.
The Transition Pathway for the Textiles ecosystem
• Together with the strategy, on 30 March, the Commission wil publish scenarios towards
the co-creation of a transition pathway for the textiles ecosystem and launch discussions
with stakeholders across the textiles ecosystem.
• The co-creation process should result, by the end of 2022, in matching concrete pledges,
including commitments on circularity and circular business models, specific actions
needed to strengthen industrial competitiveness, digitalisation and resilience, as well as
identification of specific investments needed for the twin transitions.
• Once this transition pathway has been established, it wil also al ow monitoring the
progress made with regards to achieving the twin transition, industrial competitiveness
and bridging the investment and innovation gaps. This col aborative tool can also serve
as discussion forum in anticipation of actions for the Sustainable Products Initiative,
including the Digital Product Passport related actions.
Skills
• The skil s aspect is important for the textile industry. Up- and re-skilling is yet another
tool to empower women who represent 2/3 of the workforce.
• Our col ective efforts need to result in making the ecosystem attractive to skil ed and
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young entrepreneurs and employees.
• The textile industry needs to take advantage of the employment opportunities brought
by the digital and green transitions.
• Under the EU Pact for skil s the Commission supported the establishment of partnership
to promote the upskil ing, reskil ing and the acquisition and transfer of green and digital
skil s in the ecosystem.
• Launched on 16 December 2021, the Pact establishes commitments to create local
partnerships between industry, public authorities and educational providers (such as
increasing diversification, in terms of gender, age, in company management by up to 5%
each year, supporting 10.000 SMEs in their digitalisation efforts, designing 20 new
educational processes and tools responding to green and digital skills).
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