Textiles

Textiles are everywhere and shape our daily lives. However, their production, use and after use processing cause many environmental and climate pressures. Reducing such pressures requires a shift towards a more circular and sustainable textiles system of production and consumption with extended product use, increased reuse, repair and more efficient recycling.

Assessment

Levels of textile consumption in Europe are high and continue to grow after the COVID-19 crisis, with a large and increasing share being of synthetic nature. The consumption and production of textiles negatively affect the environment and climate, causing high pressures from greenhouse gas emissions, resource use, land use and water use, among others. While efficiency improvements have led to some decoupling between environmental pressures and production growth, increased consumption has largely outweighed the gains.

Metrics show that textile waste generation has remained relatively stable, but only a minor share is collected separately, and the large majority goes to incineration or landfill. A continued very high amount of used textiles are exported, mainly to Africa and Asia, where their final destiny is very uncertain and some end up in nature.

New metrics on the use of recycled content and the reuse of textiles show that circularity in textiles is still very low.

Consumption of clothing, footwear and household textiles

19 kg/p

of clothing, footwear and household textiles consumed in the EU in 2022

Capture rate

15%

of textiles and shoes waste discarded by households in the EU are separately collected

Number of annual chemical risk alerts for textiles

textile products have been reported to pose a chemical risk in the EU Rapid Alert system in 2023.

Export of used textiles

1.4 mio tonnes

of used textiles were exported from the EU in 2023.

GHG emissions from textiles

355 kg CO₂ eq./person

is estimated to be emitted in the supply chain of textile products purchased by EU households in 2022.

Land use for EU's textiles consumption

323m²/ person

of land was estimated to be used in the supply chain of textile products purchased by EU households in 2022.

Microplastics from synthetic textiles

1,6 - 61,1 kT/year

of microplastics from synthetic textiles are unintentionally leaking into the EU environment, every year

Raw material use for EU’s textiles consumption

523 kg/person

of primary raw materials have been estimated to be used in the supply chain of textile products purchased by EU households in 2022.

Use of recycled content

of the most popular clothing items bought online contains some recycled content

Reused textiles

2.3 kg/cap

of textiles were reused in the EU27 in 2021

58%

of fibres and yarns used by EU industry are of synthetic origin

of “blue” water was estimated to be used in the supply chain of textile products purchased by EU households in 2022.

Textiles

Assessment

Consumption of clothing, footwear and household textiles

Capture rate

Number of annual chemical risk alerts for textiles

Export of used textiles

GHG emissions from textiles

Land use for EU's textiles consumption

Microplastics from synthetic textiles

Raw material use for EU’s textiles consumption

Use of recycled content

Reused textiles

Textile waste generation

Textile waste treatment

Water use for EU’s textiles consumption