How to interpret Europe's new textile rules
January 1st 2025 marked the launch of the EU’s most comprehensive textile reform to date, initiating a multi-year transformation of the industry. This ambitious initiative, centered around the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) framework, aims to reshape the entire textile value-chain. In this article, we talk about the massive regulatory push on textiles that many in our industry refer to as the ‘tsunami of rules’.
Overarching themes that push EU to legislative action
The EUs Textile Strategy vision can be read: Products are durable, recyclable and made with recycled content. Produced with respect of human rights and the environment.
That’s the starting point for the winding road of many interlinked regulations in development, here condensed into four overarching pillars:
- Generating less waste. The objective of The Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) is to establish a framework to increase the sustainability and durability of products.
- Putting waste to better use. To ensure that all waste generated is put to better use, the 2018 Waste Framework Directive has been revised to include mandatory collecting and sorting for re-use and recycling paid by the brands through an EPR-fee.
- Facilitating conscious consumption. The Green Claims Directive stipulates that all green claims made need to be substantiated to make it easier for consumers to make informed and conscious choices without being misled by unsubstantiated claims of a product or service.
- Limiting the export of textile waste. The Waste Shipment Regulation sets the rules for how and to where textile waste can be exported. The main principle is that textile waste generated in one region should be collected, sorted and recycled within that same region.
In 2025 we’ll see legislative texts transformed into practical implementation, bringing significant changes for all EU citizens.
What actually changed on January 1st?
To most, New Year’s Day came and went with few visible changes in how textiles are designed, collected, sorted, and recycled. In the textile industry, we saw the first step on the road towards achieving the EU’s 2050 waste reduction goals.
By the onset of 2025, all EU member states must establish separate collection systems for textiles, meaning municipalities or other local authorities become responsible for setting up and managing collection systems accessible to all 450 million citizens.
Most important to know for a European citizen: it is no longer allowed to throw textiles into household waste. Find your local recycle bin and start to generate feedstock for textile-to-textile recyclers.
What will happen in 2025 and the years to come?
While the citizens of Europe are searching for their local recycling bins, policy professionals in Brussels will have an intense implementation period ahead. All member states must accelerate the mandated implementation of the harmonized EPR in their respective countries and create a local Product Responsibility Organization (PRO) responsible for collecting EPR fees from producers. The level of the EPR fee will be decided based on how sustainable the product is, a system called eco-modulation. Virgin polyester and low recyclability means a higher fee, high durability and a more recycled content means a lower fee.
For producers in the future a fully implemented EPR means:
- Financial responsibility for end-of-life management of their products
- Investment in design for recyclability
- Joining a PRO to manage recycling and take-back schemes
- Training and upskilling of employees to adapt processes to comply with the EPR framework
For textile producers, changes brought by the EPR means new procedures and opportunities. Staff across all levels should expect increased training in sustainable practices, from designers rethinking material choices to production teams implementing new traceability systems. The EU also estimates that 20-35 new jobs will be created for every 1,000 tons of textiles collected for reuse, suggesting significant employment potential in the circular economy.
Another key pillar of the textile strategy transitioning from policy to practice in 2025 is the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR). Through a newly established Ecodesign Forum, this legislation will be transformed into specific requirements and standards.
Critical questions need to be answered: What percentage of recycled content will be required in products sold in Europe? What will be the minimum requirements for quality and durability? Which hazardous substances will be banned entirely? The Joint Research Center (JRC) is currently seeking industry input through a consultation process to help shape these rules in the delegated act.
Local legislation remains the most important piece in the puzzle. While the EU provides the framework, each member state must develop and implement its own detailed regulations — a process that's moving at varying speeds in the 27 member states.
What does this legislation mean for textile-to-textile recyclers like Syre?
First and foremost: collected and sorted textiles are our raw material, our feedstock. The new regulations ensure that recyclers like us have access to these materials and can guarantee circularity, transforming waste into new products. The more textile waste European consumers recycle, the more circular products we can create.
The requirements established in the Eco design regulations aim to push brands toward more sustainable production. This means creating products that are easier to recycle, incorporating recycled content (like Syre's circular polyester), and ensuring durability and better quality.
While these changes are positive and will drive the industry in a more circular direction, what we need now is swift and harmonized implementation of this groundbreaking regulation – without delays or hesitation. Climate change is accelerating, and its risks are alarming.
We know what needs to be done—it's time to act. The textile shift is here.