#Recycling / Circular Economy

2019-12-12

EURATEX preliminary proposals for a new circular economy action plan for textiles

EURATEX President Alberto Paccanelli and Daniel Calleja Crespo, Director General of the European Commission DG Environment (c) 2019 EURATEX

Welcoming Mr. Calleja Crespo, Director General of the European Commission DG Environment at the Board of Directors meeting today, EURATEX is pleased to anticipate preliminary proposals for a new Circular Economy Action Plan for the Textile value chains to ensure sustainable resource use and tackle urgent environment, social and economic challenges.

The EURATEX strategy, Prospering in the Circular Economy 2019, elaborates on 12 key points, 6 conditions and 38 specific proposals under 9 actions.

The strategy is the result of an extensive, bottom-up consultation with EURATEX members, national and sector associations and more than 100 European companies and other stakeholders.

Furthermore, EURATEX anticipates voluntary commitments subscribed by 41 companies’ CEOs who welcome the ambitious goals of the EU Institutions to tackle urgent challenges, show insights of actions already undertaken to bring circularity in textiles, commit to keep pursuing sustainable resource use, and collaborate.

If properly supported, the European textile and clothing industry can make substantial contributions to achieve the Commission’s ambitious goals which were anticipated in the policy guidelines set out by the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. The Commission is expected to release a new Green Deal next week, and a new broad Circular Economy Action plan in early 2020.

The Director General, Mr. Calleja Crespo, opened his address by stressing Circular Economy must be an “opportunity to reconcile environmental, social and economic sustainability”.

The EURATEX President, Mr. Alberto Paccanelli, stressed; “EURATEX is proud to share its unique knowledge on textiles manufacturing, the lessons learned across the European value chain and its engagement. We look forward to being part of a broader collaboration between businesses, society and authorities and which, coordinated by the European Commission, can build up a breakthrough policy for circularity and let Europe lead the way in an urgently needed transformation.

Further information on the Action Plan for Circular Textiles will be shared on https://euratex.eu/circular-economy/ as of 2020.