An association covering the PET lifecycle from manufacturing to conversion into packaging, Petcore Europe says, post-consumer garments need to be designed with recyclability in mind as they represent almost 85 per cent of the textile waste in EU.

The association has published a position paper on the EU’s Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) which came into force in July 2024. It emphasizes on the need to improve collection efforts, establish mandatory EU-wide harmonized sorting guidelines, implement pre-processing infrastructure to convert collected textile waste to consistent usable feedstock both, mechanical recycling and depolymerisation processes.

These critical measures are vital for securing the viability of recycling facilities, ensuring the industry can achieve the ambitious targets set by the ESPR Ecodesign framework, says Petcore.

The economic and social impact of textile recycling is undeniable. It helps the industry generate employment, support local industries and, ultimately, become economically self-sustaining, the organization argues

Noting the need for extended producer responsibility schemes, Petcore says, these schemes would help make waste prevention, reuse and recycling targets accountable. They need to provide financial support for the collection, sorting, preparation for recycling, and recycling, it adds.

The association advocates a mandatory minimum of 20 per cent recycled content in garments, specifically post-consumer recycled polyester, by 2030. It also supports an initiative for digital product passports for polyester textiles that provide meaningful information on a product’s environmental footprint, composition, repairability, and recyclability.

Additionally, producer responsibility for garment take-back schemes and ensuring proper traceability for upcycling needs to be made mandatory, the association emphasizes. The position paper also calls for a reduction on textile exports to the Global South.