Only 15 percent of discarded household textiles and footwear in the EU are collected separately, according to the European Environment Agency’s new textile module. The same data estimates that Europeans generate around 16 kilograms of textile waste per person every year. That leaves a basic question at the heart of Europe’s emerging textile policy: where does the remaining 85 percent go? Across the EU, extended producer responsibility systems are being introduced to finance c

A new EU ban on destroying unsold clothing, accessories and footwear took effect on 19 July. It initially applies to large companies, while medium-sized businesses will follow in 2030. Small and micro-enterprises are exempt. The principle is straightforward: new and usable products should remain in use rather than be incinerated, landfilled or otherwise destroyed. Companies are expected to prioritise measures such as discounted sales, alternative markets, donations, repair an

EU’s Ecodesign regulation will ban destruction of unsold clothing and introduce reporting requirements. But limited data on surplus flows leaves key system effects uncertain.

In the debate around second-hand clothing and the circular textile economy, many myths and half-truths persist. This article aims to separate fact from fiction — exploring what really happens with donated clothes, how much is recycled, the impact of overproduction, policy changes, and the global imbalances in the used-clothing market.

The second-hand industry may well be one of the most misunderstood industries in the world. All sorts of rumors circulate in the media and in debates that most of it is garbage or that what you donate to collections is just burned. But for many years the second-hand industry has been a well-developed trade chain that generates not only cheap clothes but also jobs and a circular economy. Perhaps the most important ingredient in the trade chain is sorting clothes. It is a craft

"Few industries might be so misunderstood as our industry. This is particularly sad when these misconceptions start to influence politicians and other decision makers" These are the words from Örjan Österdal, CEO of Humana Second Hand Fundraising Projects, one of Europe's largest second-hand clothing enterprises. A non-profit enterprise that´s been a part of the second-hand trading since the nineties.