Transformative change won’t come to the textile sector overnight—here’s why we need to accept intermediary solutions

It's no secret we’re beleaguered by an overwhelming textile waste problem. In 2020, the EU produced an average of 16 kilograms of textile waste per person, roughly equivalent to 50 garments—the vast majority of which was tossed by consumers rather than manufacturers or retailers. Shockingly, a mere 12 percent was reused or recycled, with the majority of discarded textiles landfilled or incinerated with general waste. Even in the Netherlands, which boasts better recycling statistics than many other EU nations, more than half of all textile waste is still discarded in household rubbish bins and ultimately incinerated. The waste problem is only set to worsen: one of the world’s fastest-growing waste streams, textile production is spiralling upwards, reaching a record high of 116 million tonnes in 2022 and expected to hit 147 million tonnes by 2030 if business as usual continues according to Textile Exchange. Current recycling efforts are falling far short of what's needed to tackle the growing mountain of fashion waste—leaving us grappling with a broken system afflicted by impossible-to-manage waste volumes, hard-to-recycle products and a general penchant for profit over planet.