FOSTERING CIRCULARITY IN TEXTILE: INNOVATIVE INTEROPERABLE SOLUTIONS AND BEST PRACTICES FOR IMPLEMENTATION AND HARMONIZATION OF EPR SCHEMES

ongoing

Circula-TEX, with its multidisciplinary approach, aims to support the EU Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles by facilitating the redesign of textile value chains through the adoption of a circular approach and ensuring compliance with the expectations of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) schemes and European directives. The project will delve into the failures and gaps in the current textile value chain, particularly in terms of technological, environmental, economic, legal, and social aspects, and will explore the effectiveness of EPR schemes and other technological and non-technological measures to maximize the sustainability of the textile sector. The project will employ co-creation approaches to engage all stakeholders in the value chain and relevant case studies to develop actionable recommendations for circular textile management. These recommendations will include solutions to enhance the scalability of textile recycling and reuse through eco-design strategies, efficient systems for material composition identification and labeling to support textile collection and sorting, as well as traceability of information, and innovative approaches for reuse and waste treatment. Circula-TEX aims to provide evidence-based criteria for the harmonized implementation of EPR schemes and associated policies across the Member States. An innovative labeling system, in line with the Digital Product Passport and Eco-design for Sustainable Products Regulation directive(ESPR), will be developed to provide consumers, waste collectors, and reuse/recycling organizations with valuable practical information and promote reuse and the uptake of secondary materials in the market. The findings, initially applied and validated across four case studies, are expected to be expanded and replicated in various textile market segments and EU countries.