Clothing and textiles

Each year, nearly 19 kg of textiles per person are consumed in Germany, amounting to a total of 1.56 million tonnes. Around 1 million tonnes are collected as waste textiles. Consumer spending on clothing and footwear in Germany reached approximately 77.7 billion euros in 2022 and, with few exceptions, has risen continuously over the past 30 years – mainly due to fast fashion. This exacerbates the problems associated with textile production and waste, leading to increased greenhouse gas emissions, higher consumption of chemicals and their environmental impact, increased use of fertilisers and growing water extraction. This environmental issue particularly affects countries in the Global South that produce textiles and import used textiles. Additionally, social challenges associated with this industry persist in production countries, including child labour and low-wage workers.

The obstacles to implementing circularity in the textile sector are highly diverse. Market conditions and cost structures play a key role. Fast fashion textile products are primarily imported by large buyers from countries with low labour costs and weak labour and environmental standards and are sold at low prices. Moreover, an increasing number of textiles are supplied directly to consumers via online platforms from third countries. Circular business models often cannot compete with this global supply market. Low prices for new goods, fast fashion designs and limited willingness or ability to repair textiles and use second-hand items lead to the low appreciation of textiles in society. Furthermore, there are insufficient incentives for technical innovations and investments at the end of a textile’s life cycle. Most manufacturers still rarely incorporate circularity into their designs. To establish functioning circularity, it is important to focus on longevity, durability, reusability and repairability in textile production, integrate circularity into textile design and ensure the flow of information among textile suppliers, brands and textile recyclers along the supply chain regarding these and other relevant aspects, such as material composition. At present, this flow of information is often inadequate. Improvements are needed.

German manufacturers and research institutions are leaders in Europe in the field of technical textiles. The circular economy is increasingly gaining importance in this area as well, with opportunities to be leveraged, for instance, through cross-cycling (processing textiles for high-quality applications in other sectors).

A number of key measures are currently being discussed and developed in legislative initiatives, many at EU level. The most relevant include:

  • The EU Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles (2022) sets out a framework and vision for a sustainable and circular textile sector by 2030. This is currently being implemented through various horizontal legislative acts.
  • The EU Ecodesign Regulation includes textiles as one of the first product groups for specific regulations (see Section ‎4.5.2).
  • The EU Waste Framework Directive (2008/98/EC) requires EU Member States to prevent waste generation. A proposal for a targeted revision of the Waste Framework Directive, presented by the European Commission in July 2023, includes extended producer responsibility for textiles, textile products and footwear from households, with environmentally graded fees.
  • From 2025, the Circular Economy Act (KrWG) will require the separate collection of textile waste and textiles for reuse.
  • A proposal for a new EU Textile Labelling Regulation, announced for 2025, aims to improve fibre labelling for textiles, set specific requirements for the digital product passport and simplify the transfer of future information requirements along the value chain.
  • The revised EU Waste Shipments Regulation introduces stricter rules on the export of textile waste.

Based on the vision of a comprehensive circular economy for 2045 presented in Section 1.3, and complementing the guiding principle and overarching goals formulated in Section 2, the following additional goals apply to this action area:

  • Increase the number of businesses engaged in selling or renting clothing and textiles primarily for reuse, as well as the number of employees and revenue in these businesses. Define a quantifiable target by the end of 2025.
  • Increase revenue from durable clothing and circular business models.
  • Increase the use of recycled fibres in textile production. 

The action area includes not only clothing, footwear and leather goods but also home textiles. Due to the large and growing volumes of clothing, the following measures primarily focus on this area. As a general point, it should be noted that there are currently no sector-specific regulations for textiles. This is now changing with the initiatives outlined in Section 4.7.2, which will play a key role in achieving the objectives set out in Section 4.7.3. It is advisable to closely monitor the introduction and implementation of these regulations and their impact on the internal market. If they do not produce the desired results in the coming years, it must be reviewed whether additional measures at EU and/or national level are necessary and appropriate.

Industry dialogue on circular business models

A dialogue between the Federal Government and businesses on a sector-specific approach to tracking and increasing revenue from durable clothing and circular business models. The use of recycled fibres will also be increased. Technologies for the automated sorting of fibre materials and for removing additives and dyes, for example using enzymes, will be further developed to the point where they are ready for application.

Minimum durability requirements

Advocate EU product regulations for textiles in order to lay down ambitious minimum longevity requirements within the framework of the ESPR and to create conditions for increasing the use of recycled fibres.

Changing awareness and providing information 

A cultural shift and change in awareness among consumers is a key factor in transforming the textile sector. To make the sector circular, textiles should be durable and used for a long time. Purchases in the fast fashion segment, which is characterised by low quality and short lifespans, should be reduced. Awareness-raising and information campaigns to promote appreciation for durable clothing, greater visibility and availability of circular services and appropriate corporate communication strategies play a significant role in permanently changing consumption patterns. Such efforts can drive a shift in awareness, ultimately supporting sustainability in the textile sector. 

Targeted information and awareness campaigns are required, potentially in coordination with manufacturer and retail associations. Possible opportunities for such initiatives include Repair Day, the European umbrella campaign European Week for Waste Reduction and updates to the Waste Prevention Programme (AVP) of the Federation and the Länder. 

Awareness raising among businesses through relevant committees and/or events must also be advanced. Providing information at the point of sale is important for reaching consumers. Additionally, businesses will be encouraged to test and establish new business models, such as product-as-a-service models, which do not depend on increasing new purchases for their economic viability. 

Another component of this measure is engagement with municipal institutions, such as the Association of German Cities and local administrations. Joint discussions will be held on ways to increase the visibility and accessibility of circular textile providers in city centres.

Improving textile waste collection and promoting high-quality recycling

A separate collection target for textile waste should be examined going forward. To this end, R&D in logistics, sorting systems, recycling and verification technologies and the further processing of recycled fibres must be supported to increase recycling capacity in Germany. This is a prerequisite for introducing mandatory recycled content targets. Support should also be provided for sorting post-consumer textile waste. Another focus is on start-up funding for pilot plants and demonstration projects in collaboration with EU and non-European partners in order to account for international material flows.

Research support 

The following topics are to be considered in future ministerial research by the BMUV: 

  • Basic and market research on quality and sustainable alternative fibres in textile flows, including end-of-life flows, and their impact on fibre-to-fibre recycling, as well as the compatibility of design for recycling and longevity.

Incorporating textiles as a product case study in transdisciplinary collaborative research projects, where the practical experiences of stakeholders are integrated into research.