A New Era in the Textile Sector
The European Union has adopted extended producer responsibility (*), making it mandatory for brands, retailers, and online sellers (including those outside the EU) to pay for the collection, sorting, and recycling of clothing, footwear, and home textile products discarded by consumers.
For the first time, brands will be required to disclose how much they produce, finance collection and recycling infrastructure, and, under the concept of eco-modulation, pay lower fees for sustainable designs and higher fees for products with greater environmental impact.
By 2030, every garment must be placed on the market with a scannable identity (Digital Product Passport – DPP) showing its carbon footprint, recyclability, and life cycle.
Digital Product Passports: A New Standard in Fashion
The significance of this development was underscored at London Fashion Week, held on 18–22 September 2025. While LFW once again showcased bold collections, emerging talent on the global stage, and heritage houses reminding the world of their power, it also highlighted the growing importance of creativity.
Yet the message was clear: without DPPs, brands risk falling behind in the market.
“Creativity alone will not protect brands from this new risk; preparation must begin now.”
The EU’s Core Goal: Protecting the Environment and Human Health
Protecting the environment and human health is one of the EU’s core objectives. Member States are therefore required to continuously improve their waste prevention and management programs.
Under the European Green Deal and the Circular Economy Action Plan, Member States are called upon to double their efforts to ensure environmental sustainability.
Urgent Needs in the Textile Sector
Textile and food sectors are at the center of this agenda. However, financing gaps and technological delays threaten the transition to a circular economy and decarbonization.
The textile sector, in particular, is among the most resource-intensive industries, creating an urgent need for solutions aligned with a life-cycle approach.
Circularity in Textiles: The 2030 Strategy
The EU’s sustainable and circular textile strategy aims to fundamentally reshape product design, production, and use. In particular, it calls for limiting fast-changing fashion trends.
The 2030 vision is clear: consumers should be able to use high-quality textiles for longer and at affordable prices.
Three core instruments will deliver this vision:
- Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR): Producers will be held accountable for the waste generated by their products.
- Eco-modulation: Fees under EPR will be adjusted based on the environmental impact of products.
- Digital Product Passport (DPP): Each garment will carry a digital identity showing its carbon footprint, recyclability, and life cycle impact.
The aim of these measures is to create an economy for collection, sorting, reuse, and recycling; to push producers toward designs consistent with circularity; and to encourage innovation.
In addition, under the Waste Shipment Regulation, textile waste will only be exported to countries where environmentally sound processing is ensured. This is designed to prevent illegal trafficking of waste disguised as second-hand goods.
An EU-wide registry system will be established to monitor whether producers meet their obligations, allowing data flows between national systems. Producers will be required to appoint a Producer Responsibility Organization (PRO) to manage their EPR responsibilities.
Implications of the “Polluter Pays” Principle
All producers placing clothing, accessories, and footwear on the EU market—from small-scale tailors to major brands—will be responsible for managing their products until the end of their life cycle.
Reuse and product life extension will be actively supported.
Under the “polluter pays” principle, producers will be held directly accountable for the environmental impact of every product they place on the market under their brand name.
In this context, the Digital Product Passport system comes into play. The new DPP framework developed through IoDF (Input/Output Definition File) is positioned not only as a compliance tool but also as a driver of creativity.
Advantages of IoDF-enabled DPPs include:
- Sustainable circularity
- Reduced EPR costs, improving profit and return on investment
- Direct consumer connection
- New revenue streams
- Cultural storytelling
Competition, Innovation, and the Circular Economy
The responsibility for collection, processing, and recycling can foster healthy competition among producers. The system encourages sustainable designs, reduces costs, accelerates innovation, and strengthens secondary raw material markets.
Today, most textile products are designed without considering circularity. To enable investments in circular textiles, clear targets for collection, sorting, reuse, and closed-loop fiber recycling must be established. Supporting technological advancements and boosting infrastructure investments are also critical for sectoral transformation.
Home textiles and clothing make up the largest share of textile consumption. These areas contribute significantly to unsustainable overproduction and overconsumption. Preventing textile waste, preparing it for reuse, and recycling it will therefore play a strategic role in reducing the sector’s environmental footprint and cutting global greenhouse gas emissions.
Risks and Opportunities for Turkey
The export of used textiles and textile waste from the EU to third countries is increasing. While much of this is directed to reuse markets, the introduction of separate collection systems in 2025 is expected to lead to a significant rise in textile waste volumes. This poses a risk of overburdening the waste management systems of destination countries such as Turkey.
To guard against the threat of “waste colonialism,” Turkey must act swiftly and decisively. Otherwise, it risks becoming a dumping ground for the EU’s textile waste burden.
At the same time, however, building a compliant and transparent system creates opportunities. If Turkey aligns with EU regulations, it can help brands reduce costs, open resale markets, and foster consumer trust.
In Summary…
The EU’s decision marks a point of no return for the textile industry. Producers are now responsible not only for manufacturing but for the entire life cycle of their products.
The “polluter pays” principle may appear as a cost burden in the short term, but in the long term, it opens the door to more innovative, competitive, and sustainable business models. This is not just an abstract policy; it is a structural overhaul of fashion’s outdated business model. Fast fashion will face penalties, while resale will become increasingly profitable.
As a result:
- Supply chains will face tighter scrutiny,
- Costs will be shifted back onto overproducing brands,
- Consumers will gain the power to make more informed choices,
- And a future where waste turns green will become possible.
For Turkey, the imperative is clear: view this process not as a risk, but as a strategic opportunity, and adapt without delay.
(*) C/2025/1033 27.2.2025P9_TA (2024)0145 Directive modifiant la directive 2008/98/CE relative aux déchets
