Ahead of EU regulations expected in 2026, some of Spain’s largest fashion companies plan to launch a voluntary initiative to collect discarded clothes.
To be launched from Apr’25 onwards, the pilot project, titled Re-viste, will involve major brands such as Zara-owner Inditex, H&M, Decathlon, Ikea, Primark, etc. It will help address the growing issue of textile waste by separating textiles and shoes from general waste for reuse or recycling.
The project will be launched only after the final approval of new EU regulations, expected to be implemented by 2026. Once these regulations are approved, Spanish fashion companies will have to manage the cost of textile waste disposal on their own, says Marta Gomez, Director - Quality and Environmental Evaluation, Ministry of Energy Transition
The upcoming EU regulations will also make companies selling clothes and shoes pay higher fees for waste management. In Spain, only 12 per cent of the used clothing is collected separately, with 88 per cent ending up in landfills. On average, each resident in Spain discards 20 kilos of clothes annually, compared to the European average of 7 kilos, according to official figures.
However, these companies do not wish to comply with the legal requirements, adds Andres Fernandez, President, Re-viste and Head –Sustainability, Mango.
During the year-long trial of the project, Re-viste will install collection containers at churches, stores, shopping centers, and on streets across Spain. These containers will allow people to drop off unwanted textiles, which will then be sent to sorting plants for recycling or reuse.
