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procure the bulk of the cotton now buy only certified would soon be witnessed in the form of job losses in
traceable crops. The farmers producing cotton developing economies. The cotton farmers would
through conventional ways have to rely on small see a decline in cotton uptake as the recycling of
spinners that buy for domestic needs. They buy textile waste would recover most of the cotton that
mostly on a monthly to weekly or even day-to-day would be sold as raw material by spinners who would
basis. It is lower and the cost is higher because of book it from the recycling mills in advance. This will
the excessive use of water, chemicals, and not happen in a year or two but might take decades
pesticides. as the recycling capacities are enhanced. A
European plant has already declared that its recycled
The recycling of PET bottles is now a norm around cotton production capacity would be enough by 2030
the world. It produces enough polyester fiber to to produce 1.4 billion T-shirt equivalent fabric.
replace a substantial need for virgin polyester. This is
termed as the lowest level of sustainability because The EU’s Circular Economy Action Plan (CEAP) was
the end product is the same non-degradable plastic. a comprehensive body of legislative and
The major aim is to eliminate plastic from clothing non-legislative actions adopted in 2015, which aimed
which accounts for 54 percent of the textile sector to transition the European economy from a linear to a
and must be higher in garments. Polyester or circular model. The Action Plan mapped out 54
manmade fiber is used in larger quantities because it actions, as well as four legislative proposals on
is cheaper than cotton. Then there is viscose which is waste. These legislative proposals were put forward
a degradable material that is produced by cutting by the European Commission along with the Action
more than 200 million trees per year. It has a huge Plan and included targets for landfill, reuse, and
environmental impact and tree-cutting promotes recycling, to be met by 2030 and 2035, along with
deforestation. new obligations for separate collection of textile and
bio-waste. The Action Plan covered several policy
The European Union has gone much ahead on areas, material flows, and sectors alongside
textiles sustainability. In December 2019, the Von der cross-cutting measures to support this systemic
Leyen Commission unveiled its European Green change through innovation and investments. It also
Deal, an ambitious plan to transform the EU’s announced a sectoral strategy for plastics. More than
economy into a fair, sustainable, and prosperous EUR 10 billion of public funding was allocated to the greenhouse gas emissions and more than 90% of The strategy will aim at strengthening industrial
one. The European Green Deal is a comprehensive transition between 2016 and 2020. biodiversity loss and water stress come from competitiveness and innovation in the sector,
growth agenda that aims to make Europe the first resource extraction and processing, the European boosting the EU market for sustainable and circular
climate-neutral continent while ensuring that no one All 54 actions were adopted or implemented by 2019. Green Deal 4 launched a concerted strategy for a textiles, including the market for textile reuse,
is left behind in this transition. However, the creation The EU is now recognized as a leader in circular climate-neutral, resource-efficient, and competitive addressing fast fashion, and driving new business
of this new growth strategy was not a simple economy policy-making globally. The waste economy. Scaling up the circular economy from models. This will be achieved by a comprehensive
process. The European Green Deal is the result of an legislation was adopted in 2018, following front-runners to the mainstream economic players will set of measures, including applying the new
evolution in the European Commission's thinking and negotiations with the European Parliament and the make a decisive contribution to achieving climate sustainable product framework as set out in section 2
of a series of policy developments across different Member States in the European Council. According neutrality by 2050 and decoupling economic growth to textiles, including developing eco-design
areas since 2011. to Eurostat, jobs related to circular economy activities from resource use while ensuring the long-term measures to ensure that textile products are fit for
Sustainability in textiles has become a law in the European Union, a norm in the United States, and a reluctant have increased by 6% between 2012 and 2016 within competitiveness of the EU and leaving circularity, ensuring the uptake of secondary raw
no one behind.
obligation in the countries where the brands outsource garments. The scope of sustainable production has This case study reflects back specifically on the the EU. The action plan has also encouraged at least materials, tackling the presence of hazardous
been enlarged from agriculture to industrial production. steps which the European Commission took to take a 14 Member States, eight regions, and 11 cities to put chemicals, and empowering business and private
lead in circular economy policies globally. From forward circular economy strategies. Specifically, on Textiles the EU states that they are the consumers to choose sustainable textiles and
Everything is happening rapidly on the sustainability front. A few years back the sustainable procedures initially aiming at improving resource efficiency, to fourth highest-pressure category for the use of improving the business and regulatory environment
primary raw materials and water, after food, housing,
adopted for cotton growth were appreciated by the brands as they involved lower use of water, chemical redefining growth with positive social, environmental, By rethinking resource efficiency and material flows, and transport, and fifth for GHG emissions. It is for sustainable and circular textiles in the EU. In
fertilizers, and pesticides. Farmers got a premium on the crop thus produced. It is still so but the major brands and economic benefits, this case study analyses this the European Commission developed a framework to estimated that less than 1 percent of all textiles particular, by providing incentives, support to
all over the world now have made it mandatory for suppliers to use cotton produced through sustainable policy-making process. promote systemic change. Engaging policymakers worldwide are recycled into new textiles. The EU product-as-service models, circular materials, and
practices. Hundreds of NGOs are facilitating the farmers in cotton-growing countries to use sustainable across different policy areas and levels of textile sector, predominantly composed of SMEs, has production processes, increasing transparency
practices that reduce the carbon print during cultivation. The cotton thus produced is certified by accredited After these two small initiatives came the concept of governance, as well as various stakeholders, has started to recover after a long period of restructuring, through international cooperation, and providing
agencies and is traceable through technology giving rise to the farm-to-garment concept. The day is not far circular economy in Textiles. The circular economy is aimed to promote a collaborative approach. The while 60 percent by value of clothing in the EU is guidance to achieve high levels of separate collection
when there will be no buyers for cotton grown through old conventional practices. In Pakistan, the low cotton based on three principles, driven by design: eliminate co-leadership with the institution between the produced elsewhere. In light of the complexity of the
production has been attributed to various factors but one reason in this regard is that the big spinning mills that waste and pollution, circulate products and materials Directorates-General responsible for Industry & of textile waste, which Member States have to ensure
(at their highest value), and Enterprise, and the Environment, was crucial textile value chain, to respond to these challenges by 2025; boosting the sorting, re-use, and recycling
regenerate nature. to this process. the Commission will propose a comprehensive EU of textiles, including through innovation, encouraging
Strategy for Textiles, based on input from industry industrial applications and regulatory measures such
Sustainability is good for the earth but its flip side The EU Commission states as half of total and other stakeholders. as extended producer responsibility.
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