【艾伦麦克阿瑟基金会】2024拓展纺织品EPR政策的边界报告

Pushingthe

boundariesofEPRpolicyfortextiles

Contents

Aboutthisreport3

Executivesummary6

Insupportofthisreport8

Today’stextilessystemiswasteful11

Fixingaleakysystem14

ExtendedProducerResponsibility:

anecessarypartofthesolution24

EPRpolicydesign:

acommondirectionoftravel30

Maximisingtheopportunity:

designingEPRforacirculareconomy39

Acceleratingprogress44

TechnicalAppendix46

Acknowledgements67

PUSHINGTHEBOUNDARIESOFEPRPOLICYFORTEXTILES3

About

thisreport

Thisreport,writtenforpolicymakers,aimstocontributeto

theglobaldebateontextilewasteandpollutionbyfocusing

onExtendedProducerResponsibility(EPR)policies—a

necessarypartofthesolutiontoachieveacirculareconomy

fortextiles.EPRisacrucialpolicytooltoensurediscarded

textilesarecollectedandputbackincirculationatscale.

Todate,threecountrieshaveadoptedEPRpolicycovering

textiles(France,Hungary,andtheNetherlands).EPRpolicy

fortextilesiscurrentlydebatedand/orproposedinarangeofothercountriesandregions(includingAustralia,Ghana,Kenya,Colombia,California,NewYork,andallEUMember-States).

Thisreportaimstocontributetothisemergingpolicy

conversation,outliningashareddirectionoftravelandtheopportunityforEPRtocreateambitiousoutcomesthat

acceleratethecirculareconomytransition.

Thedatamodellingandanalyticsincludedinthisreportfocusonselectedcountries(includingChile,EuropeanUnionMemberStates,Ghana,India,Kenya,Tunisia,andtheUSA),chosenduetothesignificantroletheyplayinthetradeofusedtextiles,aswellastheexistenceorongoingdevelopmentofEPRpolicyfortextilesinthesecountries.

Theauthorsrecognisethatcertainsignificanttopicsof

relevancetotheglobaltextilesdebatearenotcoveredindepthinthisreport.Forexample,thelabourmarketoftoday’sglobalreuseandrecyclingeconomy,andpotentialjobimpactsofa

circulareconomytransition,arenotwellunderstoodtodayandrequirefurtherexploration.

Toquotethisreport,pleaseusethefollowingreference:

EllenMacArthurFoundation,PushingtheboundariesofEPRpolicyfortextiles(2024).

PUSHINGTHEBOUNDARIESOFEPRPOLICYFORTEXTILES4

Box1

Whatiscoveredbytheterm“textiles”

Inthisreport,“textiles”referstotextileproductsthataregenerallyinscopeofexisting(orlikelytocomeunderfuture)EPRobligations:clothing,footwear,andhouseholdtextilessuchasbedlinen.

Productssuchasmattresses,technicaltextiles,andfurniturewithupholsteryfalloutsideofthescopeofthisreport,astheseareusuallynotcoveredunderEPRfortextilespolicies,butinsteadarecoveredunderseparateEPRschemes(e.g.furniture).Inaddition,clothing,footwear,andhouseholdtextilesallenterthesamecollectionsystemswhentheyarediscarded,whicharedifferentfromcollectionsystemsinplaceforfurnitureandmattresses.

Thefocusofthisreportisondiscardedtextiles,i.e.textilesthatarediscardedbycitizensandenteraformofwaste

management(wastecollectionoruncontrolleddisposal).Thesetextilesmayormaynothavereachedtheendoftheirusefullifeatthepointofdisposal.

PUSHINGTHEBOUNDARIESOFEPRPOLICYFORTEXTILES5

Box2

WhatwemeanbyExtendedProducerResponsibility(EPR)

Inthisreport,EPRreferstomandatory,fee-basedExtendedProducerResponsibilityschemes.

TheOECDdefinesEPRasanenvironmentalpolicyapproachinwhichaproducer’sresponsibilityforaproduct

isextendedtothepost-consumerstageoftheproduct’slifecycle.1UnderEPRlegislation,businessesthatplaceproductsonthemarket(“obligatedproducers”)becomeresponsibleformanagingtheirproductswhenthesearediscardedbyconsumers.

Inthecontextoftextiles,obligatedproducersaretypicallybrands,retailers,andonlinemarketplacesthatplaceclothing,footwear,andhouseholdtextilesonthemarket.2Theresponsibilityimposedontheseproducersmaybefinancial,organisational,orboth.3

EPRisaperformance-basedregulationinwhichspecificoutcomesandobjectivesaresetanddefinedbylaw,andsoaretherolesandresponsibilitiesofstakeholdersinvolvedindeliveringonthese(suchasobligatedproducers,localgovernments,charities,andnon-profitoperators).Generally,companiescanfulfiltheirresponsibilityindividually,

byputtinginplacetheirowncollection,sorting,reuse,andrecyclingsystems,orcollectively,byjoiningeffortstoestablishasharedsystem.

ProducerResponsibilityOrganisations(PROs)

InacollectiveEPRscheme,obligatedbusinessesdelegatetheirresponsibility(fullyorpartially)toathirdparty.Typically—butnotexclusively—thethirdpartyisajointPRO,whichfulfilsobligationsforthein-scopeproductsonthebusinesses’behalf,andcoordinatestheactivitiesidentifiedaswithinthescopeofsuchabody.ThelegallyobligatedbusinessespaythePRO,inordertocoverthenecessaryexpensesforachievingthelegallyrequired

outcomesandobjectives.

Fees

ThePROisnormallyfundedthroughfeesthateachobligatedproducerpaystothePRO.SuchanEPRschemecanbereferredtoasafee-basedEPRscheme.Thescope,design,andoperatingmethodscanvaryacrosscountries.Infee-basedEPRschemes,thefundingremainsring-fencedanddedicatedtotheafter-usemanagementoftheproductandrelatedactivities(suchasdata-gatheringandsupporttoR&D).TheseactivitiesshouldbeclearlydefinedinthescopeoftheEPRlegislationandintheresponsibilitiesofthePRObody.

Jurisdictionalcontext

Inmostcountries,nationalgovernmentsadopt,implement,andenforceEPRpolicy.Infederalcountrieshowever

(suchastheUSAandBelgium),sub-nationalgovernmentsformthelegalauthorityenactingEPRregulations.Forthisreason,thisreportreferstothe“jurisdictionalcontext”or“jurisdictionalborders”,toindicatethegeographicalremitwhereEPRisimplementedandenforced.

PUSHINGTHEBOUNDARIESOFEPRPOLICYFORTEXTILES6

Executivesummary

Aroundtheworld,thevastmajorityoftextilesleakoutofthesystem

whentheyarediscarded:theyare

incinerated,landfilled,orleakintotheenvironment.Textilewasteisadirectconsequenceofourlineareconomicsystem.Currently,productsarenot

typicallydesignedtolastandarehardtorecycle.Mostbusinessmodelsarelinear,withhighlevelsofthroughput,lowratesofutilisation,andlowlevelsofrecycling.

Tofixthisleakysystem,separate

collectioninfrastructurefortextilesneedstobescaledupdramaticallyand,importantly,implementedin

locationswhereitcurrentlydoes

notexist.Whereseparatecollectionsystemsexisttoday,theyare

underdevelopedanddonotcapturealltextilesplacedonthemarket.

Becauseoftheirpotentialmarket

value,textilesdeemedrewearable,andthereforesuitableforreuse,areprioritisedforcollectionintoday’ssystem.Aftercollectionandsorting,reusabletextilesaretradedaroundtheworld.Whilesuchreuseexportsleadtoincreasedvaluecapture

andutilisationofclothing,theyalsocauseadisproportionatewaste

managementburdenonimporting

countries,whichoftenlackthe

infrastructuretomanageclothingwhenitisnolongerreusable.

Acomprehensivecirculareconomyapproachistheonlysolutionthatcanmatchthescaleoftheglobal

textilewasteproblem.Inacirculareconomy,textileproductsareusedmore,madetobemadeagain,andmadefromsafeandrecycledor

renewableinputs.Inthissystem,

businessescontributetosupportinginfrastructurecommensuratelywithwhattheyplaceonthemarket,to

ensuretheirproductsarecollectedandreused,repaired,remade,or

recycledintonewtextileproducts.

Today,theeconomicsforseparatecollectionandrecirculationof

textilesdonotstackup—thisisa

keybarriertoachievingacircular

economyfortextiles.Toestablish

separatecollectionsystemsatscale,structuralfundingisneededto

coverthenetcostassociatedwith

managingalldiscardedtextiles,notjustthefractionwithhighmarket

value.Whereseparatecollection

systemsareinplace,theyarelargelyfundedthroughthereusableclothingfraction.Thismarket-drivensystem

facessignificantpressure,andwillnotachievefurtherexpansionnormaterialcaptureunlessdedicatedfundingis

putinplacetocoverthecost.

Thispublicationlaysoutwhy

mandatory,fee-basedExtended

ProducerResponsibility(EPR)policyisanecessarypartofthesolutiontobuildacirculareconomyfortextiles.

EPRpolicyplacesresponsibility

onproducerswithregardtothe

collection,sorting,andrecirculation

oftheproductstheyplaceonthe

market,resultinginfundingthatis

dedicated,ongoing,andsufficienttomanagetextileproductswhenthey

arediscarded.WithoutEPRpolicy,

thecollection,reuse,andrecyclingoftextilesisunlikelytobemeaningfullyscaledandtensofmillionsof

tonnesoftextileswillcontinuetobelandfilled,incinerated,orwillleakintotheenvironmenteveryyear.Inaworldoffiniteresources,EPRpolicyhelps

createnewsectorsandemploymentdedicatedtoreversecycleactivities,suchascollection,sorting,reuse,

repair,andrecycling.Assuch,itcanhelpshifttheeconomicbalanceawayfromtheproductionofnewproductsandmaterials.

PUSHINGTHEBOUNDARIESOFEPRPOLICYFORTEXTILES7

Thisreportproposesacommon

approachtoEPRpolicydesign

fortextiles,basedoncircular

economyprinciples.Toachievea

globalcirculareconomyfortextiles,nationalEPRsystemsneedtoalign

aroundthesamekeyobjectives,

whilesettingtargetsthatreflecta

specificunderstandingofthenationalandlocalcontext,stakeholder

landscape,andinfrastructure

availability.Inaddition,alignment

aroundcommondefinitionsand

stakeholderinvolvementiscrucialtotheeffectivenessofEPRpolicy.

Initscurrentform,the

implementationofEPRpolicyis

incompleteandleavesopportunitiesuntapped.Today,producer

responsibilitystopsatthepointof

export,diminishingEPR’spotentialtocollectandmanagediscardedtextilesincountrieswheretheyultimately

endup.Asreusableclothingis

tradedaroundtheworld,apotentialtransboundaryextensionofEPR

needstobeexploredtoachieveaglobalcirculareconomyfortextiles.

Importantly,EPRhasthepotential

tobreakawayfromitstraditional

downstreamfocusanddeliver

circulareconomyoutcomes,butthispotentialiscurrentlyunderexploited.

ThisreportoutlineshowEPRcan

stimulatecirculardesign,extendtheusephaseoftextileproducts,and

addresspollutionimpactsthatoccurthroughouttheusephase.

AstheregulatoryprocessforEPR

developmenttakesyearstocome

tofruition,businessesshouldnot

waittoaccelerateprogressandturncirculareconomyambitionsinto

demonstrableaction.Coordinatedandcompoundingindustryactionisneededtochallengethelinear

economicmodelatitscore,andtocapturethefullvalueopportunitybykeepingproductsandmaterialsinuseforaslongaspossible.

Voluntarybusinessactions,includingtheestablishmentofvoluntary

EPRschemes,arekeytoaccelerateprogress,creatingmarketdemandforcirculareconomysolutions,inanticipationofmandatorypolicies.

Thisreportisintendedasastartingpoint,nottoprovideallthe

answers.WerecognisethatEPR

ismosteffectiveaspartofawider

circulareconomypolicyframework,addressingproductdesignand

businessmodels.EPRisafirstand

necessarystep,butmoreneedsto

bedonetotransformthetextile

system.Wealsorecognisethereareotherimportantconsiderationsandchallengesthatneedtobefurther

understoodwhicharenotpartof

thescopeofthisreport,including

thesocio-economicimpactsof

implementingEPRpolicyfortextiles,theenvironmentalimpactsoftextilewasteleakage,andthetechnologicalinnovationsrequiredtoreuse

andrecycleatscale.Forthisweencouragefurtherresearch.

PUSHINGTHEBOUNDARIESOFEPRPOLICYFORTEXTILES8

Insupport

ofthisreport

Ghanahasathrivingreuseeconomy,inwhichGhanaiansregularlypurchaseusedclothingandusetheservices

oflocalrepairbusinesses.However,ourreuseeconomy

alsogenerateswaste,asitemseventuallybecomenon-

reusableandarediscarded.WearedevelopinganEPR

policyforplastics,whichwillbeexpandedtotextilesandothermaterialstreamsovertime.Thecommonapproachproposedinthisreportiscertainlyintherightdirection,

andIexpectthatallcountrieswillpursueaminimumlevelofalignmentwiththeapproach.Toeliminatetextilewaste,countriesatboththeimportandexportendsoftheusedtextilestrademustcollaboratemoreclosely.

OliverBoachie

SpecialAdvisortoGhana’sMinisterofEnvironment,Science,Technology,andInnovation

Textilewasteisasignificantcontributortotheclimate

crisis.Butrightnow,wedon’thavesufficientinfrastructuretoresponsiblymanagediscardedclothingandincreasingamountsoftextilewaste,andourexistingsystemsdonotsupportconsistent,convenient,orwidespreadcollection

neededtoincentivisethereuseandrecyclingoftextiles.

That’swhyweneedcomprehensivepolicytomakethe

economicsworkfortextilereuse,repair,andrecycling.

Particularly,EPRoffersanopportunitytodojustthatwhileholdingthetextileindustryresponsibleforitsroleinthe

system.

CongresswomanChelliePingree

U.S.Congress

FrancehasanimportantlegacyofEPRpolicyfortextiles,

asourtextilesEPRschemehasbeeninplacesince2008.

Inrecentyears,wehavebeenworkingtoevolveourEPR

systembeyondcollectionandsortingoperations,towardsstimulatingcircularbusinessmodelswithaparticular

focusonrepairandrecycling.Thisway,EPRhelpsensure

productsareusedlongerbeforebeingdiscarded.Moving

forward,EPRshouldcontinuetoevolveandshouldaddressthefateofusedtextilesafterexportation.Forexample,EPRpresentsasignificantopportunitytoenhancetransparencyandtraceabilityontheusedtextilestrade.Bydoingso,it

canhelpensurethatinthefuture,weonlyexportproductstomarketswheredemandandcapacityexiststoreuse

textilesandmanagethemafteruse.

LéonardBrudieu

DeputyHeadforCircularEconomy,

FrenchMinistryforEcologicalTransition,DGPR

InChile,ourambitionistoexpandourEPRlegislationtoincludetextiles—aprocesswe’dliketokickstartin

2025.Theminimumobjectivessetoutinthisreportare

arelevantstartingpoint.InChile,EPRfortextileswill

notonlyimproveseparatecollectionandsortingbutwillalsosupportincreasedlocalreuse,byincludingtailors

andsmallupcyclingbusinessesasEPRfundrecipients.

Additionally,EPRcandeliverpositivesocialimpactsby

training,involving,andintegratinginformalworkers,

buildingonourexperiencewiththepackagingEPR

system.ButwecannotrecycleourwayoutofChile’shighper-capitatextileconsumption.WhileEPRmaynotbetheonlysolution,itisanimportantpartofthebroaderefforttoshifttowardsacirculareconomy.

TomásSaieg

Chief,CircularEconomyOffice,ChileanMinistryofEnvironment

In2023,EPRpolicyfortextilesenteredintoforceinThe

Netherlands.Throughoutthedevelopmentofthispolicy,andfromthemanystakeholdersweconsulted,welearntthat

whileEPRisessential,EPRaloneisnotsufficienttoachieveacirculareconomy.Otherpolicymeasuressuchasecodesignareneeded.Still,EPRisanimportantpartofthetoolboxofpoliciesthatcanhelpreducethevolumesoftextilewaste

generated.ThereisroomtofurtherdevelopEPRpolicyinlinewithprinciplesofthecirculareconomy,bygivingmoreattentiontocirculardesign,reuse,andrepair.

MarijeSlump

SeniorPolicyAdvisoronCircularandSustainabletextiles,DutchMinistryofInfrastructureandWaterManagement

Textileandplasticwasteandfragmentsrepresentoneofthebiggestenvironmentalproblemsrelatedtopollutionandbiodiversitylossintheworld.Alargevolumeof

plasticsishiddeninotherproducts,suchastextilesandpackaging.Thatiswhyitisimportanttoexpanddebatesontheseproductsandtheirappropriatedisposalto

reducepollution.

AdalbertoMaluf

Brazil’sNationalSecretaryforUrbanEnvironment

andEnvironmentalQualityofMinistryofEnvironmentandClimateChange

PUSHINGTHEBOUNDARIESOFEPRPOLICYFORTEXTILES9

AgrowingnumberofgovernmentsareconsideringadoptingpolicytorequireEPRschemesfortextileproductstobetteraddressrelatedenvironmentalimpacts.Thisreportbythe

EllenMacArthurFoundationreviewsthelimitedexisting

experiencewithEPRfortextilesandwillhelptoinformfuturepolicydevelopmentonthisimportantissue.

PeterBörkey

CircularEconomyLead,OECDEnvironmentDirectorate

Unsustainableconsumptionandproductionpatterns

drivetheclimate,nature,andpollutioncrisesandhinder

opportunitiesforresilient,inclusive,andjustsocio-

economicdevelopment.Thetextilesectoriscomplex.Itsimpactsontheenvironment,onpeople,andeconomies

callforatransformativechangethatrequiresan

unprecedentedlevelofpolicycoherenceandcollaborationacrosscountriesandbetweenstakeholders,accompaniedbytheleadershipandcommitmentofresponsible

industries.ThisEMFreportcontributestoexpanding

existingknowledge.UNEPisworkingtoacceleratethe

transitiontowardsasustainableandcirculartextilevaluechainbyscalingcircularbusinessmodelsandproduct

design,addressingoverproductionandoverconsumption,andeliminatinghazardouschemicals,includingviaEPRaswellasthroughstrategicpartnershipssuchaswithEMF.

SheilaAggarwal-Khan

Director,IndustryandEconomyDivision,UnitedNationsEnvironmentProgramme

Tacklingtextilewastegenerationrequirescollaboration

onaglobalscale.AttheGlobalActionPartnershipfor

ExtendedProducerResponsibility,ourmissionisto

advanceEPRimplementationaroundtheworld,includingfortextiles.WebelievethisreportbytheEllenMacArthurFoundationisanimportantsteptoadvancethedebate

onEPRpolicydesignandtheneedforcross-borderalignmentandcollaboration.

NicoleBendsen

GlobalActionPartnershipforEPR

EPRpoliciesareessentialtoreducingtextilewasteand

pollution.AtUNECEwehavebeenworkingcloselywith

governmentsandkeyactorsacrossthetextileandfashionsectorstopromotetheprinciplesofaccountability,circulareconomy,andtraceabilitythroughourSustainability

Pledgeinitiative.Thisreportsupportstheongoingeffortstowardsacirculareconomy.Iencourageallactorsinthetextilessystemtoconsideritsconclusions.

MariaTeresaPisani

ChiefadinterimTradeFacilitationSection,

UnitedNationsEconomicCommissionforEurope

ThereportonEPRfortextilesbytheEllenMacArthur

Foundationcomesatacriticaltimeascountriesinthe

EUandinotherregionsoftheworldareplanningtoor

startingtoputinplaceEPRschemes.Suchschemesarecriticalintheaimtomoveawayfromfastfashionandtoreducetextilewaste.Tobesuccessful,EPRschemeshavetobedesignedcarefullytomakesuretheyarenotonlyameanstoensurethattheproducerspayforthewastehandling,butalsoactasaninstrumentto

ensuresufficiency,higherqualitytextiles,andlesstextilewaste.

LarsFoghMortensenandSannaDue

EuropeanEnvironmentAgency

AtDecathlon,webelievethatwell-designedEPRschemesarevitaltoincentivisesustainabledesignandtodevelopastrongandinnovativetextilewasteindustry.Toachievethis,collaborationiscritical.Wemustworktogether

tobuildaglobalsystemthatiscapableofclosingtheloopthroughcollection,reusing,sorting,andrecycling.“PushingtheboundariesofEPRpolicyfortextiles”laysoutthenecessarystepstohelpusgetthere.

AnnaTurrell

ChiefSustainabilityOfficer,Decathlon

AnEPR-focusedreportontextilesisessentialforthe

textilesectortodrivebettergrowth.Textilessignificantlyimpacttheenvironment,andadoptingcircularbusiness

modelslikerepair,rental,resale,andremakingcan

decouplerevenuefromproduction.Thisapproach

enhancesefficiency,meetsregulatorydemands,and

providesacompetitiveadvantage.Transformingthetextilevaluechainintoacircularmodeladdressesenvironmentalandsocialimpacts,whilesupportingpeople,prosperity,

andequity.InColombia,wearecurrentlypilotingEPRfortextilesonavoluntarybasisandwelookforwardtothenextstepsonthisjourney.

RubenGoldsztayn

DirectorofSustainableProductionandConsumption,NationalBusinessAssociationofColombia(ANDI)

ThisreportisatestamenttotheexpertiseanddedicationoftheEllenMacArthurFoundationinitsobjectiveto

acceleratetowardsacirculareconomyfortextiles.

Theresearchandcomprehensivedataanalysiswillbe

extremelyvaluablefortheAustralianclothingindustry

andforSeamless,Australia’snationalproductstewardshipscheme,aswedeliveronourpurposeandnavigateour

waytowardsachievingclothingcircularityby2030.

AinsleySimpson

ChiefExecutiveOfficer,SeamlessAustralia

Forover30years,EXPRAandits34membershave

successfullyimplementedEPRforpackaging,proving

itisanecessarypartofthesolutiontowardsacircular

economy,whenunderpinnedbyproperlegalframeworks

andenforcement.ThisinsightfulEMFreportadaptsEPR

experiencesfrompackagingandothersectorstotextiles,guidinggovernmentsandtheentiretextilevaluechain.EPRcangreatlycontributetotransformingtextilesintodurableproductswithabundantsecond-lifeoptions,keeping

resourcesintheeconomiccycleforaslongaspossible.

JoachimQuoden

ManagingDirector,EXPRA

Textilewasteisacriticalglobalissue,largelystemming

fromourcurrentlineareconomicsystemwhereproductsareneitherdesignedforlongevitynorforrecycling.To

addressthis,wemustdramaticallyscaleupseparate

collectioninfrastructure,especiallyinareaswheresuch

infrastructuredoesnotexist.EPRpoliciesarecrucial,

mandatingproducerstofundthecollection,sorting,

reuse,andrecyclingoftextiles.EPRcanalsostimulate

circulardesignandextendtheusephaseoftextiles,anditcanhelptoalignglobalefforts,acrossgovernmentsandindustry,tocreateacirculareconomyfortextiles.

JanPatrickSchulz

ChiefExecutiveOfficer,LandbellGroup

Textilesarewovenintoallfacetsofourlives—inclothing,furnitureandconstructionmaterials—andwearenot

effectivelymanaginghowtheyareprocessedatend

oflife,reinforcingwastefuleconomicpracticesand

deepeningenvironmentaldegradation.Weurgentlyneedtoadoptpolicytoolsthattakealifecycleapproachfor

redesigning,reusing,andreincorporatingtextilesinoureconomyincreativeandgenerativeways—andEPR

offersavaluablestartingpointforthis.

KobieBrand

DeputySecretaryGeneral,ICLEIandRegionalDirector,ICLEIAfrica

ThisreporthighlightswhyEPRpolicyisanecessary

partofthetransitiontoacirculareconomyfortextiles.

Mandatory,fee-basedEPRpolicyisnecessarytoensure

producersareheldresponsibleforthecollection,sorting,recirculation,andeventualend-of-lifeoftheproductstheyplaceonthemarket.Movingbeyonditstraditionalfocusonwastemanagement,EPRpolicycanbedesignedto

buildacircularsystem,inwhichproductsaredesigned

foralongusephase.EPRpolicycanalsodeliversolutionsfortextilesexportedacrossborders,bysettingaside

fundingtosupportimportingcountriestocollect,sort,andrecirculateandultimatelyprocessusedclothingandothertextiles.

HildevanDuijn

ManagingDirector,CircleEconomyFoundation

Thetimefortalkisover—actionisneedednow.This

reportclearlyshowsthattofixour“leaky”textilewastesystem,weneedbettercollectioninfrastructure.Butit’snotjustaboutcollectingandrecycling.WeneedtolookatEPRmoreholisticallyandunderstandhowitcandrivebetterproductdesign.Thisreportdoesanexcellentjobofbringingtheseissuestolight.Itistimeforbusinessestostepup,worktogether,andmakesustainabletextilemanagementareality.

AnjaliKrishnan

ProgramManagev,AlternateMaterials,IDH

PUSHINGTHEBOUNDARIESOFEPRPOLICYFORTEXTILES11

Today’stextiles

systemiswasteful

Thevastmajorityoftextilesleakoutofthesystemwhentheyarediscarded.

Thevastmajority(morethan80%)

oftextilesleakoutofthesystem

whentheyarediscarded:theyare

incinerated,landfilled,orleakinto

theenvironment(seeAppendixA).IntheEU,88%ofdiscardedtextilesendupinmixedhouseholdwasteandarethereforeincineratedorlandfilled.4

IntheUS,itisestimatedthat85%of

textilesendupinlandfillorincinerationafterhavingbeendiscarded.5

Populationgrowthandtheincrease

indisposableincomeinemerging

marketsareprojectedtocontinueto

drivethegrowthinwastegeneration,ifwecontinuebusiness-as-usual.

Whentextilesarediscarded,they

areextremelylikelytobecome

mismanaged.Asseparatecollection

systemsareunderdeveloped(see

“Fixingaleakysystem”),thevast

majorityoftheseproductsarenot

collectedseparately,withnochanceofaproductiveafterlife.Whentextilesaredisposedofaspartofmixedhouseholdwaste,theyarenotsortedoutand

areinsteadlandfilled,incinerated,orabandonedintheenvironment.

Theenvironmentalandsocial

costsofmismanagedtextilesare

significant,andfurtherexacerbate

thetripleplanetarycrisesofclimatechange,biodiversityloss,and

pollution.Textilewastecanendup

beingburnedinopenpits,dumped

ontobeachesandintoriversorseas,ordisposedofinunsanitarylandfillsanddumpsites.Thesepathwaysall

leadtothereleaseofpollutants,

includinghazardouschemicals,

threateningspeciesandhabitats.6

Substancesofconcernthatare

cont