In order to support the European circulatory management guidelines such as the ecodesign regulation for sustainable products (ESPR), the leading textile-to-textile recycle companies Circ, Circulose, Re & Up and Syre have founded a new T2T alliance.
“Textile waste is a growing challenge in Europe and beyond. Less than 1 percent of the textile fiber market comes from recycled textiles, and most old products currently land on landfills or are burned. The textile industry is at a turning point, and we believe that the EU and other actors are strongly influenced by the acceleration of the circular economy in this sector and can promote textile-to-textile recycling as a future standard solution, ”comments Syre-CEO Dennis Nobelius in a press release.
The aim of the Allianz is to contribute an expert: Interior knowledge of the development of ecodesign requirements for clothing, for example by supporting a closed textile recycling approach, which includes both industrial waste and old textiles. This also includes the clarification of misunderstandings about the textile recycling industry, for example the refutation of the assumption that the crediting of industrial waste to the recycled rates would promote their overproduction.
The advocacy of a wide range of verification methods for tracking recycling material is another important area, as is the promotion of T2T recycling content and recyclability as core requirements in the ESPR ecodesign requirements for textiles.
Let expertise flow into sustainability policy
According to the alliance, the perspective of T2T recycling companies has been underrepresented in the previous political discussions, although it is essential for an effective design of overodations. She would like political decision-makers: Therefore, convey an understanding of the real effects of sustainability policy, take them to account and ensure that the textile cycle economy in EU politics is non-negotiable.
“The T2T Alliance will act as a hub for advocacy, cooperation and joint measures and ensure that the interests of T2T-Recyclers not only heard inside, but also in future textile guidelines in the EU and beyond,” says the press release.
“We welcome the courageous steps of the EU towards a more circular future, but the current suggestions risk overlooking the practical challenges with which advanced textile recycled operations are confronted. We can recycle demanding poly cotton mixes, but we need well-founded legislation to really scale our effects. That is why we have merged under the roof of the T2T Alliance-to ensure that the political decision-makers: use our collective specialist knowledge and enact laws that really accelerate the circular economy instead of creating new barriers, ”sums up Circ CEO Peter Majeranowski.
The T2T Alliance is open to further textile-to-textile recycled businesses that want to join.