On March 30th, the European Commission adopted the EU Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles. This communication reports on the negative social and environmental impacts of the Textile Sector in the EU and worldwide, but also highlights its significant role in tackling injustice, poverty, the endangerment of our health and that of the planet. The document envisions a future where our collective mindset on producing, using and disposing of textiles has evolved to a more responsible approach throughout the value chain; in which less is more and we can do more with less; a future where the cheapest piece of clothing in our wardrobe is worth more than a person’s annual salary – or multiple years’ worth – on the other side of the globe, and one where we do not stylishly cause climatic catastrophe. Indeed, one can read:

“By 2030 textile products placed on the EU market are long-lived and recyclable, to a great extent made of recycled fibres, free of hazardous substances and produced in respect of social rights and the environment. Consumers benefit longer from high quality affordable textiles, fast fashion is out of fashion, and economically profitable re-use and repair services are widely available. In a competitive, resilient and innovative textiles sector, producers take responsibility for their products along the value chain, including when they become waste. The circular textiles ecosystem is thriving, driven by sufficient capacities for innovative fibre-to-fibre recycling, while the incineration and landfilling of textiles is reduced to the minimum.”

2030. That is not a distant future, it is right around the corner. What seems like a utopian alternate reality is, in fact, what is proposed to every stakeholder in this business if we wish to minimise and revert the effects of our current practices and view on textiles. It affects all of us and all of us are responsible for making the change possible, from producers to consumers. What should we do, then? The European Commission laid out a roadmap of key actions to implement until 2025 to fulfill the end-of-decade perspective:

• Introducing mandatory Ecodesign requirements

• Stopping the destruction of unsold or returned textiles

• Tackling microplastics pollution

• Introducing information requirements and a Digital Product Passport

• Green claims for truly sustainable textiles

• Extended producer responsibility and boosting reuse and recycling of textile waste

• Launching the Transition Pathway for the textiles ecosystem of the future

• Reversing the overproduction and overconsumption of clothing: driving fast fashion out of fashion

• Ensuring fair competition and compliance in a well-functioning internal market

• Supporting research, innovation and investments

• Developing the skills needed for the green and digital transitions

• Due diligence for environmental and social fairness

• Addressing the challenges from the export of textile waste

Can we do it? While several of these action points will need assertive legislative and governance policies to enact, most are already being put in place by sheer market forces and the will of many innovative and responsible individuals and companies. At Tintex Textiles, we want to be part of the solution, not the problem, and we want to help our partners be part of the solution, too. That is why we have been working on solutions to make the transition to a more sustainable textile system as easy and fluid as possible. Through more than two decades of market sensing and technical experience, we reinforced our operation to answer the demands of Present and Future:

• Strategic decision-making processes involve ecological and social sustainability criteria and commitment

• Evaluation of suppliers related to fair and just practices for workers.

• United Nations Global Compact “Business Ambition for 1.5 ⁰C” signatory.

• Auditing and certification of company practices and products through strict, independent third-party entities and standards.

• Activity inputs and outputs seek to minimise negative impacts on the environment and community

• Development of products based on natural, recycled or biodegradable fibers and on boosting their recyclability.

• Validation of chemical products using transparency, safety and ecological criteria.

• Implementation of highly efficient machinery, energy recovering processes and net-zero carbon energy sources.

• Full disclosure and complete valorisation of total generated waste.

• Consumer empowerment, partnerships for a clean transition and reliability of green claims

• Corporate communication with focus on green products and promoting likeminded brands, manufacturers and suppliers.

• Participation and leadership of R&D projects on sustainable materials.

• Accountability of stated fabric performances through respective quality control test methods.

The possibilities are within our reach to shift or consumer habits and industrial practices already. It is only a matter of will to drastically reduce our dangerous effects on the planet: the will of those in power to legislate, of those who spend their hard earned money in the shop and of those who are able to choose greener means of production.

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