Global Fashion Agenda hosted an event in Copenhagen to explore how local municipalities can be more involved in circular fashion systems. The event gathered a diverse group of participants – ranging from waste collectors to fashion companies to local municipalities – who discussed the collaborative solutions needed to reach future sustainability goals.
One of the core topics discussed was how regulators in the EU are introducing new legislation on clothing waste and recycling. One directive requires EU member states to set up schemes by 2025 that ensure textiles are collected as a separate waste stream. Moving forward, local municipalities will play a pertinent role in the transition to a circular fashion. The lack of markets for recycled materials has proven to be a hurdle for companies that have set goals of only using recycled or sustainably sourced materials by a certain date. One suggestion called for investments in the markets for recycled materials in order to make waste collection economically viable and incentivise private textile collectors. Designers were urged to create circular designs and stakeholders within the value chain were reminded to take the recycling processes into account.
One presentation showed how using textile waste for non-woven materials such as insulation and acoustic panels in the construction industry allows other industries to benefit from recycled textiles.
