T E X T I L E I N D U S T R Y N E W S O N R E U S E , R E C Y C L I N G A N D C I R C U L A R I T Y

REGULATING DISPOSAL BUT NOT PRODUCTION

The unresolved climate gap in textile policy

Across Europe and in international forums, new rules are tightening how used clothing is collected, sorted and shipped. Governments are building systems to manage what happens after garments are discarded. Yet most of the sector’s climate impact occurs long before clothes are thrown away — and that part of the system remains structurally harder to regulate.

FULL STORY HERE

Across Europe and in international forums, new rules are tightening how used clothing is collected, sorted and shipped. Governments are building systems to manage what happens after garments are discarded. Yet most of the sector’s climate impact occurs long before clothes are thrown away — and that part of the system remains structurally harder to regulate.

FULL STORY HERE

THE PRODUCTION-WASTE GAP IN TEXTILE POLICY

Why is textile policy focusing on the smallest part of the problem?

The textile sector is estimated to account for roughly 2–4 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, with most of the impact occurring upstream in fibre production, processing, dyeing and manufacturing. The climate impact linked to what happens after a garment is discarded represents only a marginal share of that footprint, yet it is precisely this part of the system that current regulatory efforts are focusing on.

March 8, 2026

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THE PRODUCTION-WASTE GAP IN TEXTILE POLICY

How strong is the evidence behind the textile waste narrative?

Much of the current momentum in textile policy is built on growing concern about the environmental consequences of global second-hand clothing flows. Underlying many of these discussions is a basic assumption: that large-scale trade in second-hand clothing contributes significantly to environmental harm in importing countries. But how well documented is that assumption?

March 8, 2026

One simple code that defines the future of textile circularity

Second-hand clothing is not only a question of consumption or charity, but increasingly of trade governance: who gets to define what counts as a product, what becomes waste, and which textile flows are allowed to move across borders. Right now, one of the most important bottlenecks for circular textile trade sits in something as technical as a customs number.

February 22, 2026

February 10, 2026

They went searching for textile waste but what did they actually find?

Operation Demeter XI marked a shift. For the first time, textiles were treated as a priority waste stream in the World Customs Organization’s global enforcement effort against illegal waste trafficking.

The result: 1,176 tonnes of textile waste were reportedly intercepted or returned across 25 operations. But, what did they actually find?

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The elusive truth behind the second-hand export debate | Part 1

The amazing story about the mountains of textile waste in Ghana. Mountains that doesn´t exist, but nevertheless have been broadcasted all around the world as a major problem. Unfortunately these claims has also influenced policymakers and politicians within the EU, which has led to new regulations that actually threatens the circular system of clothes.