Reju, along with eleven other companies across the textile value chain, has launched the European Circular Textile Coalition’s manifesto calling for decisive EU action to create a fully circular textile economy. The group urges Europe to treat post-consumer textile waste not as a burden, but as a resource that can fuel new jobs, innovation, and industrial competitiveness.
Europe currently produces around 12.6 million tonnes of textile waste each year, most of which ends up in landfills, incinerators, or is shipped overseas. Only 1% is recycled back into new garments. The coalition’s message is clear — this is no longer acceptable.
“We refuse to accept textile waste as an inevitability. We see it as a solvable challenge for our generation,” the manifesto declares.
The coalition stresses that regulatory ambition must be matched with investment in recycling and manufacturing systems. Without proper infrastructure and readiness, even the most progressive policies may fall short.
To accelerate change, the manifesto focuses on three key policy pillars:
- Build a competitive European textile chain – Strengthen local production to uphold high environmental and labor standards.
- Prioritize textile-to-textile recycling – Use post-consumer textile waste as the main raw material for new fabrics.
- Set mandatory recycled content targets – Introduce phased, realistic goals to drive demand for recycled materials.
Reju’s CEO, Patrik Frisk, emphasized the power of collaboration:
“Reju is a system change company, and we strongly believe that change happens together. This coalition brings the industry closer to that shared goal, and we welcome more businesses to join.”
The group highlights that voluntary efforts have not been enough to shift the market. Binding standards, they argue, are essential to ensure long-term demand for recycled textiles.
The coalition plans to take its message on the road through an advocacy tour, engaging policymakers and inviting more partners from across the textile value chain to participate.
Their closing message carries both urgency and optimism:
“Now is the time to act — because when a world without waste is possible, we cannot afford to wait.”
