As Europe marks the European Week for Waste Reduction – and as Black Friday’s wave of hyper-consumerism looms – it’s impossible to ignore one of the biggest culprits behind our waste crisis: the textile industry.
Few sectors are as polluting, wasteful, and exploitative. Textile production drives climate emissions, chemical pollution, and resource depletion, while relying on unsafe and unfair working conditions across global supply chains. Reform is urgent – not only to protect the planet, but also to guarantee justice for the people who make our clothes.
Today’s textile system is built on excess. Global textile fibre production has more than doubled since 2000, and the EU alone generates 12.6 million tonnes of textile waste each year – about 16 kg per person. A staggering 73% of EU textiles are landfilled or incinerated. Municipalities, charities, and communities – both in Europe and in countries where our discarded textiles are exported – are struggling to cope with such volumes of harmful and disposable products.
It’s time to rethink how our clothes are made, sold, worn, and reworn. This European Week for Waste Reduction, and with Black Friday pushing yet another surge in clothing sales, we take you on a journey across Europe to discover how civil society is fighting for a fairer, circular, and more responsible textiles.
Shining a light on textile incidents
Cheap fashion prices come at a high human cost, with low wages, unsafe factories, and widespread labour rights violations plaguing textile supply chains. To show the extent of the problem, HEJ Support and partner NGOs document cases of pollution, human rights abuse, and unsafe working conditions in Bangladesh and other key production hubs via the Textile Incidents project.
As one of the world’s largest importers of new garments – and exporter of used ones – the EU shares responsibility for these injustices. These incidents underline the need for strong, enforceable due diligence rules for textile companies operating in Europe.
Tackling overconsumption and fast fashion
The textile waste crisis begins long before garments reach the bin. Brands flood the market with a continuous oversupply of cheap, synthetic clothing, relentlessly promoted by influencers and online platforms. Consumers face thousands of buying triggers every day, driving unnecessary purchases and leaving many feeling worse, not better.
What if we simply bought less?
In Sweden, the Max 5 challenge by the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation (Naturskyddsföreningen) invites people to buy no more than 5 new garments per year (excluding socks and underwear). By joining, participants regain control over their wardrobe, save money, and send a signal to the fashion industry that their model must change.
In Poland, the Buy Responsibly Foundation (Fundacja Kupuj Odpowiedzialnie) is exposing influencer-pushed consumerism, fair salaries for textile workers, and greenwashing – especially relevant as Black Friday advertising intensifies.
Know what you’re wearing
Behind every garment lies a complex cocktail of chemicals. Roughly one kilogram of chemicals is used to produce one kilogram of clothing. From bleaches and solvents to PFAS and heavy metals, hazardous substances appear at almost every stage of production.
This autumn, the Buy Responsibly Foundation is raising awareness of these chemicals and sharing practical tips for reducing exposure – at a time when consumers are most heavily encouraged to buy.
Giving textiles a second life
During the European Week of Waste Reduction, RREUSE is launching a new report on targets for reuse and preparing for reuse in the EU. The report maps existing targets across member states, covering a wide range of consumer products and waste types – from textiles to municipal waste, e-waste, mattresses, furniture, and construction materials.
With the European Commission busy shaping the Circular Economy Act, RREUSE’s report offers timely insights into which types of targets bring the most environmental, social, and economic benefits, and shows how instrumental such targets can be to boost circularity at both the EU and national level.
In Romania, the Green Planet Association (Asociația Planeta Verde) is showing what reuse and recycling can look like in practice. Since January, the organisation has collected over 20 tonnes of textiles through 11 dedicated containers installed in collaboration with local authorities and public institutions.
Of these, 40% was suitable for direct reuse; 25% could be repaired or upcycled; 15% could be downcycled, and only 20% was destined to energy recovery.
Through upcycling workshops, discarded fabrics – including Romanian traditional garments – were transformed into art, accessories and creative designs. The project proves that collaboration between NGOs, waste operators, and the creative industry can bring tangible progress toward textile circularity.
Making polluters pay
The true cost of the textile waste mountain is enormous – and until now, it has been paid by citizens. According to the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation’s recent report The bill for the textile mountain, the cost of managing textile waste reaches billions every year.
As EU countries prepare to implement new Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) rules for textiles, the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation stresses that:
- fees must cover all waste management costs;
- rules must drive innovation, waste prevention, and recycling;
- and criteria must actively curb fast and ultra-fast fashion.
Only then will the bill finally land where it belongs: with the clothing industry, not citizens.
Debriefing the next generation
Over the past years, the EU has been developing key policies on textiles, such as the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation, the Digital Product Passport, the Green Claims Directive, and Extended Producer Responsibility schemes. Yet consumers – especially young people – still lack clear, accessible information about what these policies mean for them.
Fashion plays a vital role in youth identity, creativity and activism, but youth voices are largely missing from the policy debate on textiles.
To help bridge this gap, Generation Climate Europe launched the Fashion Debrief campaign. Through a series of social media videos, they explain why sustainable textiles matter; unpack how EU textile policies – such as the Digital Product Passport and the Ecodesign law – influence what we buy, wear, and discard; and empower young people to help shape a fair and circular textile future.
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