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The new rules for textiles

Textile policy is changing rapidly across Europe and internationally. Reuse News follows the rules reshaping collection, sorting, reuse, recycling and cross-border trade — from EU producer responsibility and waste legislation to the Basel Convention and emerging requirements for textile products.

Selected reporting

EU pushes ahead despite failing to prove the problem

OCTOBER 21, 2026

Europe has adopted tighter rules for textile shipments and is advancing international discussions on further controls. Yet its own sources still cannot establish how much second-hand clothing is exported as unusable waste.

Europe is putting billions into textile EPR. But what should the money actually pay for?

Europe’s new textile producer responsibility systems are set to bring major new funding into collection and recycling. Now a different question is moving up the agenda: should that money also be used to keep clothes in use for longer through repair, reuse and resale?

Sep 21

Why the Basel Convention matters

The Basel Convention is the world's primary treaty governing the international movement of hazardous and other wastes. Originally adopted in 1989, its purpose was to prevent countries from shifting environmental burdens across borders. For decades, used clothing largely existed outside the centre of Basel discussions. That changed in 2025, when parties agreed to begin work specifically examining used textiles and textile waste. The key question is deceptively simple: when is

Jun 6

The EU is regulating textile waste, without knowing what happens to it

Europe is building new rules to control textile waste, increase circularity and track material flows. But as these rules take shape, a central problem is becoming visible. Large parts of the textile system they are meant to regulate remain only partially understood. Across Europe, the textile system is entering a new phase Over the past few years, EU textile policy has expanded rapidly. Separate collection of textiles is being introduced across member states. Controls on expo

Apr 7

Closed collection bins for used clothes in Sweden

Pressure in Europe’s textile system is becoming visible— now the EU is starting to adjust its rules

What actually happens to the clothes that are never sold? Each year, hundreds of thousands of tonnes of garments fail to find a buyer in Europe. Most are redistributed through secondary markets. But a smaller share simply disappears from view — with limited data on where it goes or how it is handled.

Mar 22

Mountains of collected clothes growing in Europe.

Europe wanted a circular textile economy.

Europe is collecting more textiles than ever before as new textile policies take effect. But recycling capacity, second-hand markets and export channels are under pressure. The result is a growing surplus of clothing inside Europe’s textile system.

Mar 15

Tougher rules for discarded clothes — but textile production volumes remain outside EU climate control

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.

Feb 22