Briefing

Textiles in Europe's circular economy

Briefing Published 19 Nov 2019 Last modified 15 Feb 2023

9 min read

Photo: © Istockphoto, credits Karl-Friedrich Hohl, reference: 642628996

Textiles are fundamental to our society, providing us with clothing, shoes, carpets, curtains, furniture, etc. for homes, offices and public buildings. The textiles industry employs millions of people worldwide, making it among the largest in the world and an important part of Europe’s manufacturing industry. However, textile production and consumption cause significant environmental, climate and social impacts by using resources, water, land and chemicals and emitting greenhouse gases and pollutants. This briefing provides an EU perspective of the environmental and climate pressures from textile production and consumption, and discusses how circular business models and regulation can help move us towards a circular textiles economy.