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Textiles and the Environment in a Circular Economy

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Textiles and the Environment in a Circular Economy Eionet Report ‐ ETC/WMGE 2019/6 Textiles and the environment in a circular economy November 2019 Authors: ETC experts: Saskia Manshoven (VITO), Maarten Christis (VITO), An Vercalsteren (VITO), Mona Arnold (VTT), Mariana Nicolau (CSCP), Evelyn Lafond (OVAM) EEA experts: Lars Fogh Mortensen, Luca Coscieme ETC/WMGE consortium partners: Flemish Institute for Technological Research (VITO), CENIA, Collaborating Centre on Sustainable Consumption and Production (CSCP), Research Institute on Sustainable Economic Growth of National Research Council (IRCrES), The Public Waste Agency of Flanders (OVAM), Sustainability, Environmental Economics and Dynamic Studies (SEEDS), VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, Banson/World Spotlight II, The Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment, Energy (WI) Cover photo © istockphoto, credits Karl‐Friedrich Hohl, reference: 642628996 Legal notice The contents of this publication do not necessarily reflect the official opinions of the European Commission or other institutions of the European Union. Neither the European Environment Agency, the European Topic Centre on Waste and Materials in a Green Economy nor any person or company acting on behalf of the Agency or the Topic Centre is responsible for the use that may be made of the information contained in this report. Copyright notice © European Topic Centre Waste and Materials in a Green Economy (2019) Reproduction is authorised provided the source is acknowledged. More information on the European Union is available on the Internet (http://europa.eu). European Topic Centre on Waste and Materials in a Green Economy Boeretang 200 BE‐2400 Mol Tel.: +14 33 59 83 Web: wmge.eionet.europa.eu Email: [email protected] Contents Acknowledgements ....................................................................................................................................... 1 1 Introduction: the world of textiles ........................................................................................................ 2 1.1 Textiles are fundamental to human wellbeing .............................................................................. 2 1.2 Towards a circular textiles production and consumption system................................................. 2 2 Trends in the production and consumption of textiles ......................................................................... 5 2.1 Production and consumption trends ............................................................................................. 5 2.2 Collection, reuse, recycling and waste management trends in Europe and elsewhere ............. 14 3 Environmental and social impacts of textiles ...................................................................................... 18 3.1 Environmental impacts ................................................................................................................ 18 3.1.1 Resource use........................................................................................................................ 19 3.1.2 Land use ............................................................................................................................... 20 3.1.3 Greenhouse gas emissions .................................................................................................. 22 3.1.4 Chemicals ............................................................................................................................. 23 3.2 Social impacts .............................................................................................................................. 25 4 From a linear to a circular production and consumption system for textiles ..................................... 27 4.1 Initiatives towards a sustainable textiles system ........................................................................ 27 4.2 Envisioning a circular system for textiles .................................................................................... 27 4.3 Circular business models and policy options for textiles ............................................................ 30 4.3.1 Choice of materials .............................................................................................................. 30 4.3.2 Design .................................................................................................................................. 33 4.3.3 Production and distribution stages ..................................................................................... 34 4.3.4 Use stage ............................................................................................................................. 37 4.3.5 Collection, recycling and waste treatment stages............................................................... 41 5 Conclusions .......................................................................................................................................... 45 Acknowledgements The report has been produced within the task on ‘Textile products and the environment’ of the 2019 ETC/WMGE work program. Lars Mortensen (EEA) has been the project leader and Saskia Manshoven (ETC/WMGE) has been the task leader. The authors are grateful to the following experts and organisations for their comments that substantially improved the quality of the report: Marco Manfroni (European Commission, DG GROW), Ruben Dekker (European Commission, DG Environment), Josiane Masson (European Commission, DG Environment), Sandra Averous‐Monnery (UNEP), Emily Macintosh (The European Environmental Bureau), Arthur Ten Wolde (Ecopreneur.eu), Eline Boon (The Ellen MacArthur Foundation), David Watson (PlanMiljø), John Wante (OVAM), Bente Bauer (Sustainable Apparel Coalition), Bart Ullstein (BCI), Almut Reichel (EEA), Dominik Chadid (EEA) and Ioannis Bakas (EEA). Bart Ullstein (BCI) provided a very careful editing of the report. Eionet Report ‐ ETC/WMGE 2019/7 1 1 Introduction: the world of textiles 1.1 Textiles are fundamental to human wellbeing Textiles are fundamental to the wellbeing of people in Europe and across the world. Textiles provide us with clothing and footwear – it is illegal in most places not to wear clothes – keeping us warm and enabling us to express personality and taste. Textiles are also used to make bed linens and towels, carpets and curtains for our homes, offices and public spaces, as well as providing materials for such other sectors as furniture and transportation, for example for car seats. At the same time, the textile value chain provides jobs to millions of people around the world, contributing to economic growth. The system of production and consumption of textiles is highly globalised with millions of producers and billions of consumers spread across the world in highly linear value chains involving raw material extraction, production, transportation, consumption and after‐use disposal. Although the European Union (EU) is a net importer of textiles, mainly from Asia, it also exports huge amounts to other regions, representing more than 30 per cent of the world textile market (EC, 2019b). In 2018, the textiles sector in the EU consisted of 171,000 companies, employing 1.7 million people and with a turnover of EUR 178 billion (Euratex, 2019b). In 2017, the total consumption of textile products (1) by households in the EU27, Norway, Switzerland, Turkey and the United Kingdom was estimated as 13 million tonnes (2), with a value of EUR 445 billion (Stadler et al. (2018)). The textile sector, including the fashion industry, has significant environmental footprint across its value chain. Natural fibres, such as cotton and wool, are produced using vast areas of agricultural land and large amounts of water, energy and chemicals, while the manufacture of synthetic fibres is based on fossil fuels. The use of chemicals and additives in textile production exerts significant impacts on local and regional water bodies. Their global distribution network emits greenhouse gases and generates packaging waste. In the use phase, washing and drying of textiles result in significant water and energy use as well as the release of chemicals and micro‐plastics into rivers and the marine environment. The sector is a major contributor to climate change through its energy use and waste management. Apparel and footwear have been estimated to produce as much as 8 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions through their life‐ cycles (Quantis, 2018). In 2015, greenhouse gas emissions from textile production amounted to 1.2 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2‐eq), more than international flights and shipping combined (Ellen MacArthur Foundation, 2017). The textile industry can also have huge social impacts, as we were reminded by the 2013 Rana Plaza incident in Bangladesh when a textile factory collapsed killing more than a thousand workers. The payment of extremely low wages and dangerous working conditions are widespread in the industry. 1.2 Towards a circular textiles production and consumption system A sustainable textile system should bring wellbeing and value to society through the provision of safe, high‐quality and affordable textile products and the creation of inclusive jobs with fair wages and working conditions, while at the same time minimising any negative environmental and social impacts, and respecting the carrying capacity of the planet. Across the value chain, pollution and waste should be limited. To ensure the conservation of the value of materials, efficient collection and recycling processes should
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