Every day we learn about statistics that testify to very bad habits related to apparel and accessory manufacturing and consumption. According to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, between 2000 and 2015, global clothing production doubled, while the average number of times a garment is worn decreased by 36%.
After the pandemic, the trend worsened: a study by the European Environment Agency (EEA) found that per capita textile consumption in the EU increased from 17 kg to 19 kg of fabric per year between 2019 and 2022, while around 12 kg is thrown away each year—enough to fill a suitcase.
Moreover, every year in Europe, an estimated 4-9% of unsold textiles are destroyed before ever being worn. This waste generates around 5.6 million tons of CO2 emissions—almost equal to Sweden’s total net emissions in 2021.
The destruction of unsold goods is a wasteful practice. In France alone, around €630 million worth of unsold products are destroyed each year. Online shopping also fuels the issue: in Germany, nearly 20 million returned items are discarded annually.
Some positive signs stand out in Italy, as textile recycling increased by 5.1% in 2024, reaching 180,000 tons, according to ISPRA’s 2025 Urban Waste Report. On a per-capita basis, each Italian citizen properly recycles approximately 3.1 kg of used clothing.
However, there is still a long way to go, and the fashion and textile industries actually have to face two main problems. On the one side, production is constantly increasing; on the other, clothes always spend less time in our closets. What solutions are there for facing and igniting a solution for this crucial matter?
“Reducing waste begins with upstream intervention, like, for instance, extending the useful life of clothing and footwear,” said Giancarlo Dezio, general manager, Ecotessili, an Italian consortium for the collection and recovery of textile waste such as clothing, accessories, linen, and footwear in the EPR sector.
“Each additional use allows us to make the most of the resources used to produce them and to reduce the amount of waste to be managed,” adds the manager.
The textile sector is one of the most intensive in terms of raw material use, as well as resources such as water and energy. Shortening the life cycle of products multiplies the environmental impacts associated with production, transport, and disposal. For this reason, the effective lifespan of a garment can improve its environmental impact and raise awareness of the need to pursue sustainable consumption policies.
Vital will be informing and raising consumers’ awareness about adopting more conscious practices and adopting more responsible behaviors, and some recent initiatives, as the Inside Out campaign, are paving the way.
Consumers should be encouraged to choose high-quality, durable products; opting for clothes made from resistant materials and designed to last over time is key, as is paying attention to the composition of garments. If it is complex and based on a mix of synthetic fibers, recycling will be expensive and complicated, if not impossible.
It will also be important to follow care instructions about washing, limiting aggressive treatments, and acting quickly on stains and minor damage, but also repairing before replacing, reusing, and sharing.
Though also essential will be following a different approach to manufacture more focused quantities of products and managing unsold apparel quantities.
More and more companies will have to adapt to comply with environmental obligations, promoting organizational models geared towards circularity, recovery, and recycling.
Within this context, brands and manufacturing companies will have to take initiatives that will make them become compliant with the recently approved Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) includes the ban on the destruction of unsold textiles and footwear, effective from July 19, 2026 for large companies. The same regulations will also apply to medium-sized companies in 2030.
Among suggested solutions to this problem, instead of discarding stock, companies are encouraged to manage their unsold products more effectively, handle returns, and explore alternatives such as resale, remanufacturing, donations, or reuse.
“The textile sector is leading the way in the transition to sustainability, but there are still challenges,” said Jessika Roswall, commissioner for Environment, Water Resilience and a Competitive Circular Economy.
“The numbers on waste show the need to act. With these new measures, the textile sector will be empowered to move towards sustainable and circular practices, and we can boost our competitiveness and reduce our dependencies,” added Roswall.
Obviously, the new regulation will require an increase in costs that will involve every player in the value chain, along with the final consumer. The real matter will be if and how such extra cost will be shared. For instance, will the smallest companies manage these extra costs? Will extra-EU manufacturers adopt the same standards or will they find unfair shortcuts? Close monitoring and reciprocal collaboration among players will also be indispensable for the future.