To succeed with the EU’s textiles strategy, the report entitled ‘Circularity of the EU Textiles Value Chain in Numbers’, said systemic change is needed for the move towards higher quality, longer use, reuse, repair and recycling. It added the EEA Circular Metrics Lab’s new module on textiles will monitor this. 

Calling for changes in production, marketing and consumption, alongside robust regulation, the report found textiles consumption in the EU increased from 17kg per person in 2019 to 19kg per person in 2022.

It also found environmental and climate pressures from EU textiles consumption remains high, with textiles ranking in 2022 the fifth highest on average among 12 household consumption categories for raw material use, greenhouse gas emissions and water and land use.

EU textiles production mainly specialises in technical textiles and in high-value clothing and footwear. EEA found in 2022 4m tonnes of finished textiles were exported, this is a value of €73bn.

The report found circularity and sustainability in the EU are affected by the implementation of the EU strategy on sustainable and circular textiles