RegioGreenTex: three years to remove barriers to textile circularity in Europe

By

Matthieu Guinebault

Translated by
Cassidy STEPHENS

Published
Feb 21, 2023

The European textile confederation Euratex and 42 partners signed the launch of RegioGreenTex on February 21. This project has three years to identify and reduce the difficulties that are currently holding back circular initiatives in the European textile-clothing industry.

The scheme, which will be piloted by Euratex, aims to provide tangible solutions to small and medium-sized enterprises, "where textile waste can become valuable", says the launch release. Some 24 SMEs are among the 43 signatories representing 11 EU countries. The aim is to help defend European textile jobs and support textile relocation in Europe by removing the obstacles to circularity.

Supported by the European Commission through the Interregional Innovation Investments Instrument, the initiative will be coordinated by the European Innovation Council and the SME Executive Agency (EISMEA). 

"RegioGreenTex will support our companies in this transition towards a new sustainable economic model," says Euratex general manager Dirk Vantyghem. Last June, he stressed to FashionNetwork.com the importance of recycling for the European textile strategy. "We are pleased to have 24 SMEs involved, which will directly benefit from the action. The project should also mobilise regional authorities to engage in textile waste recycling, which can give a new dynamic to the textile industry in general.

The scheme is intended to promote the European textile recycling network Rehubs, the first concrete step of which was unveiled last June. Rehubs aims to increase European textile collections to 5.5 million tonnes by 2025, compared to 2.8 million in 2019, a year in which some four million tonnes of textile waste were incinerated in the EU.

Euratex represents some 154,000 companies in the European textile and clothing industry, which generates 1.47 million jobs and €53 billion in exports. The confederation has been active on the issue of energy costs for almost two years, regularly criticising the inadequacy of European measures, or their discrepancy with the specific energy needs of the textile sectors.