The fibre industry may be obliged to change drastically in response to environmental pressures in the coming years, and at the Techtextil technical textiles exhibition held in Frankfurt, Germany, from 14-17 May, there were many examples of new sustainable initiatives currently being undertaken. However, it is doubtful they are substantial enough - especially within the European Union, with legislation such as the Single Use Plastics Directive, and in particular, the latest amendments to the EU's Waste Framework Directive looming on the horizon. The updated Waste Framework is obliging member states to set up separate collections for textiles by January 2025, but where all this textile waste will go - and who will pay for its collection, sorting, recycling or disposal - is yet to be finalised. Just the mention of the term 'extended producer responsibility' is doubtless turning the blood of many companies cold. A press conference held during Techtextil saw the joint launch of the Circular Economy Manifesto by Euratex (the European Apparel and Textile Confederation), the Federation of the European Sporting Goods Industry (FESI), Global Fashion Agenda (GFA), the International Apparel Federation (IAF), and the Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC). As part of a global supply chain, it was pointed out, the predominantly SME-based European textile and clothing industry employs 1.7 million people in 176,000 companies, generating a turnover of some €181.lbn.
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