According to a report published this week by the European Environment Agency (EEA), the consumption of clothing, footwear and home textiles in the European Union (EU) annually amounts to around 1.3 tons of raw materials and more of 100 cubic meters of water per person. A large-scale shift towards a circular economy is needed in the production and consumption of textiles to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, resource use and pressures on nature.
Textiles in Europe's circular economy, published by the EEA, presents the most growing evidence on the environmental and climate impacts of the consumption of textile products ranging from clothing and footwear to carpets and furniture in the EU. The published information is based on a technical report of the European Topic Center on Waste and Materials in a Green Economy (ETC/WMGE) of the EEA.
According to the EEA study, the production and handling of clothing, footwear and home textiles sold in the EU in 2017 used approximately 1.3 tonnes of virgin raw materials and 104 cubic meters of water per person of the EU. About 85% of these materials and 92% of water were used in other regions of the world.
For water consumption and use of virgin raw materials, clothing, footwear and home textiles represent the fourth highest consumption category in the EU, after food, housing and transport. The same group of products causes the second largest pressure on land use (after food), as well as a considerable amount of chemical and water pollution, including plastic microfibers released through washing, and also various negative social impacts.
The EEA report also shows that the production of clothing, footwear and home textiles for Europeans caused approximately 654kg of CO2 equivalent emissions per capita in the EU, making textiles the fifth largest source largest CO2 emissions linked to private consumption. Around three quarters of these emissions took place outside the EU.
Circular economy policies and principles, such as eco-design and reuse, have the potential to mitigate the environmental and climate impacts of textile production and consumption, says the EEA report. Current EU policies oblige Member States to collect textiles separately by 2025 and to ensure that separately collected waste is not incinerated or landfilled.
According to the EEA, circular business models in the field of textiles, such as leasing, exchange and return and resale, must be expanded with the support of policies that address materials and design, production and distribution , use and reuse, collection and recycling. This may include sustainable product and production policies, eco-design and durability standards, green and public procurement, safe and sustainable materials, waste prevention and extended producer responsibility, and labeling and standards.
More information here.
