New EU Textile Strategy Approved by the EU Parliament

Alice Bah Kuhnke Members of the Parlament that has been one of the members working on improving the strategy suggested by the EU Commission, Photo: Philippe Stirnweiss

Last Thursday a big majority (600 yes against 17 no) of the Members of the EU parliament voted positive for the EU Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles. This was a vote in favour of (for example):

• Tougher EU measures to fight excessive production and consumption of textiles

• Textile products should last longer and be easier to reuse, repair and recycle

• Clothing and footwear should be produced in a circular, sustainable and socially just way

• Call for a ban on the destruction of unsold and returned textile goods

• Greener claims should be more regulated and not fool consumers

In other words, this can be the end of fast fashion within EU!

Rapporteur Delara Burkhardt (S&D, DE) said: "Consumers alone cannot reform the global textile sector through their purchasing habits. If we allow the market to self-regulate, we leave the door open for a fast fashion model that exploits people and the planet’s resources. The EU must legally oblige manufacturers and large fashion companies to operate more sustainably. People and the planet are more important than the textile industry’s profits. The disasters that have occurred in the past, like the collapse of the Rana Plaza factory in Bangladesh, growing textile landfills in Ghana and Nepal, polluted water, and microplastics in our oceans, show what happens when we do not pursue this principle. We have waited long enough - it is time to make a change!"

A Sustainable Closet applauds and congratulates everyone who’s been involved in making this happens and is looking forward to seeing the results of implementation. And thanks to all of you out there who keep on spreading awareness about the fashion industry, without your voices this might never have happened.