ReHubs to finalise European textile recycling roadmap by September
The announcement follows the rollout of extended producer responsibility (EPR) on 1 January 2025, which now requires brands, retailers and importers to either manage or fund the end-of-life processing of their products within the European Union.
According to a press release, the updated ReHubs roadmap—part of a pan-European initiative launched in 2020 —will outline action plans for key stakeholders, identify priority investments, define measurable performance indicators and map out a step-by-step framework to accelerate textile-to-textile recycling.
The project first took shape in 2021 with the launch of 'Transform Waste into Feedstock,' a pilot program in partnership with Texaid, a Swiss company specialising in converting used fabrics into reusable raw materials. With operations in Germany, Austria, Bulgaria, Hungary and the United States, Texaid helped establish the foundations for a future network of automated sorting and recycling hubs.
In 2023, ReHubs transitioned into a formal organisation, ReHubs Europe, now backed by more than 30 partners. The initiative aims to increase Europe's annual textile recycling volume to 2.5 million tonnes.
The timing of this roadmap is especially significant. Recent shifts in EU sustainability legislation have unsettled the European textile industry, particularly changes to the European duty of care framework and the proposed Green Claims directive, which governs environmental marketing claims. Euratex has called on Brussels for a more transparent legislative calendar to avoid market disruptions and ensure a stable path forward for sustainable investments.
'The textile and clothing industry is at a turning point,' said Robert van de Kerkhof, CEO of ReHubs. 'With changing legislation and rapid technological advances, we have a unique opportunity to implement a systemic transformation that benefits the environment, the economy and society. ReHubs is proud to lead this initiative by federating diverse stakeholders around a clear and concrete roadmap. Together, we can build a resilient and circular textile ecosystem, capable of meeting today's challenges and seizing tomorrow's opportunities.'
This announcement also arrives at a critical moment for Europe's textile collection and sorting sector. Traditionally funded by the resale of second-hand garments, the model has come under pressure as export markets decline—partly due to the surge in volumes of used textiles collected in Asia. The shift has weakened a long-standing economic structure, prompting calls from both industry players and governments to accelerate the transition toward domestic recycling systems.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Fashion Network
an hour ago
- Fashion Network
ESPR: How to Anticipate and Influence Future European Legislation for Sustainable Fashion
Development of the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) continues in Brussels, with a view to adoption by the end of 2026. The apparel sector will be the first to see the application of this set of regulations, which has raised a number of concerns in the industry. With this in mind, Defi has published a reference document to help companies anticipate the future mandates. Defi is a professional economic development committee (CPDE) financed by the fashion and luxury industry. The committee has called upon the expertise of consulting firm 2B Policy's co-founder Baptiste Carrière-Pradal for its new report. Carrière-Pradal also heads the technical secretariat of PEFCR (product environmental footprint category rules), which recently received the green light from the European Commission for its eco-score dedicated to the professional sphere of apparel and footwear. Over thirty pages, this new ESPR reference document summarises the most immediate challenges relating to the future regulations, some aspects of which are still being finalised. These include the obligation to publish the number of unsold goods destroyed in 2025, ahead of the destruction ban that will apply to large companies from July 2026, then to medium-sized companies from 2030. A digital product passport (DPP) is also on the agenda, providing information on a product's durability, the materials and substances used in its production, and its end-of-life possibilities. In addition to the notions of physical and emotional durability (i.e., attachment to a product over time), eco-design, repairability, and recyclability are also on the agenda. Federations close ranks "When we started to discuss the ESPR with brands and federations, we saw that there was a bit of panic on board," Clarisse Reille, general manager of Defi, told FashionNetwork. "Our aim with this document was therefore to make regulations intelligible, but also to influence them through the knowledge we have of companies and the field. And all the federations in the sector have mobilised to work together on this project, where they usually tend to do things more or less on their own." For Baptiste Carrière-Pradal, the significance of these exchanges is all the greater given that ESPR is a pivotal player in the European "Green Deal". At a time when the Euratex confederation is pointing to the volatility of European projects for sustainable fashion, Carrière-Pradal points out that the ESPR has escaped the simplification cycle (perceived as a back-pedal by certain federations and NGOs) recently launched by Brussels. Above all, this text, which could influence product composition as well as establish new quality criteria, will be subject to a tighter negotiating schedule. This leaves a short window of opportunity to influence the final texts. "The European Commission is due to issue a third study report on the subject, which will begin to specify its choices in November this year," said Carrière-Pradal. "This report will be submitted to stakeholders for comment. A fourth and final report will then arrive in early 2026. This will be followed by the work of a European working group, the Ecodesign Forum, which will exchange views with the European Commission to validate the project's political orientations. This phase should be completed during the first half of 2027, bearing in mind that the EC wants to avoid any delays, as textiles are the first sector to be covered by ESPR." Textiles, the first sector to be covered by ESPR Carrière-Pradal highlighted that this is the reason why France has moved so quickly on its Climate, Agec, and fast-fashion laws, in the hope of influencing the Commission's work on ESPR. The choice of the textile sector to take the lead would officially be due to a multi-sector assessment of existing impacts and possible improvements. Two points on which textiles would stand out. "I have a slightly different vision," confides Clarisse Reille. "Fashion is generally not taken seriously. What's more, when we look at the impact of the sector, we see that it's mainly due to ultra-fast-fashion, which has every interest in spreading its problems throughout the sector, to dilute its responsibility. And public authorities tend to be more attentive and benevolent towards sectors whose customers are mainly men. This analysis, which is less rationalist, is shared by the heads of federations." The head of Defi stresses above all that France, through its existing legislation and the joint work of its federations, will have a say in the final shape of the ESPR. This is confirmed by Carrière-Pradal: "Until recently, France was the only country to have an eco-organisation to manage the end-of-life of textiles, Refashion. But it's also important to bear in mind that, even if the French State has more weight than others in Brussels, the Commission still has an obligation to listen to other players." The reference document produced by Defi with the support of the various French textile-clothing federations is freely accessible in the Studies section of the forum's portal.
Euronews
3 hours ago
- Euronews
Poland discovers one of Europe's largest oil deposits in a decade
Central European Petroleum (CEP) has announced Poland's largest and one of Europe's most significant conventional oil finds in a decade, located off the central European country's Baltic Sea coast. The breakthrough was made at CEP's Wolin East 1 (WE1) well, some 6 kilometres from the port city of Świnoujście in Poland's northwest. Preliminary figures suggest the WE1 site contains 22 million tonnes of recoverable crude oil and condensate, along with 5 billion cubic metres of commercial-grade natural gas. The broader concession area, spanning 593 square kilometres, is estimated to contain over 33 million tonnes of oil and condensate, as well as 27 billion cubic metres of gas. That would more than double Poland's current estimated oil reserves, which stood at around 20.2 million tonnes in 2023, according to Polish public broadcaster TVP. If confirmed, the discovery would rank as Poland's largest conventional hydrocarbon deposit and among the biggest in Europe in the last 10 years, according to the Polish Press Agency. The well was drilled using a jack-up platform in waters measuring 9.5 metres deep, and reached a total vertical depth of 2,715 metres. 'This is a historic moment for both Central European Petroleum and the Polish energy sector,' said the company's CEO, Rolf G Skaar. 'Wolin East is more than just a promising deposit — it is a joint opportunity to unlock the full geological and energy potential of the Baltic Sea,' he added. The find could play a key role in reducing Poland's dependence on imported fossil fuels, particularly as the country looks to strengthen its energy autonomy, local media reported. 'The discovery of the Wolin East hydrocarbon deposit (...) could prove to be a breakthrough in the history of hydrocarbon exploration in Poland, especially in areas still insufficiently explored, such as the Polish Exclusive Economic Zone in the Baltic Sea,' said Krzysztof Galos, Poland's Undersecretary of State and Chief National Geologist. 'If this discovery is ultimately confirmed, the Wolin East deposit could become the largest deposit of crude oil and associated natural gas ever discovered in Poland,' he added. CEP Central European Petroleum, the company's Polish subsidiary, is overseeing the project. The parent firm, based in Canada and majority-owned by Norwegian investors, was originally established to explore for hydrocarbons in the European Union, with early activities focused on Germany.
Euronews
4 hours ago
- Euronews
Hamburg's industrial waste heat project: a model for climate-neutral district heating?
Just a few kilometres from Hamburg's centre, the multi-metal company Aurubis produces more than 400,000 tonnes of copper every year. During the refining process, sulphur in the copper concentrates reacts with oxygen to form sulphuric acid, a valuable subproduct. This chemical reaction also releases large amounts of heat, which is now transferred to water and delivered through the city's district heating network. From wasted heat to warming homes Before this system was implemented, this thermal energy had no use. 'We took water from the river Elbe and cooled down the heat that came from the process. It wasn't used for anything. It was just wasted', explains Dr Holger Klaassen, director of corporate energy and climate affairs at Aurubis. That all changed when the energy supplier Enercity Contracting partnered with Aurubis with the idea of channelling the heat to the district heating system of Hafencity East, a growing residential area that was once part of the city's port. Both companies invested more than €20 million to bring the project to life. 'We needed a total retrofit of the contact plant where the sulphuric acid is produced. We needed a big heat exchanger, pumps, pipes, very special steel and stones that are able to absorb the heat combined with the acid', Dr Klaassen says. Enercity Contracting built an energy station to store and pump hot water, along with a gas-fired boiler to back up the system during copper production downtimes. A 3.7-kilometre pipeline now links the Aurubis facility directly to the city. A replicable model for greener cities Hamburg's industrial waste heat project is unique in part due to the copper smelter's close proximity to the city and the availability of CO₂-free waste heat. Still, Dr Klaassen believes the model could be replicated in other cities. 'What would help to make it more economically feasible would be incentivising the production or use of CO2-free heat by, for example, providing free allocations in the European emission trading system or developing some kind of green markets', he concludes.
