Alex Trelinski
BIG fashion companies in Spain will start collecting discarded clothes from April next year as part of a voluntary scheme to manage textile waste before new EU laws that are expected to start in 2026.
Zara owner Inditex, H&M, Decathlon, Ikea and Primark are among 10 brands that will participate in a trial that will separate textiles and shoes from other collected waste so they can be reused or recycled, according to organisers of the project, called Re-viste.
Spain is awaiting final approval of new EU regulations that will require member states to separate textiles from other waste before it issues rules to fashion companies, which will meet the cost of managing the textile waste.
READ MORE:
- Spain among top 5 EU countries for recycling clothes
- ARTISAN ALPUJARRA – the tradition of crafting, recycling, and upcycling in Spain’s Granada
The EU law will not come into force before 2026 as authorities will give companies at least a year to adapt, government officials and fashion industry sources said.
“The regulations show us the way, but we have decided not to wait to comply with the legal requirements,” said Andres Fernandez, president of Re-viste and head of sustainability at retailer Mango, which is also part of the trial.
The rules will mean that companies that sell more clothes and shoes are likely to have to pay more for managing the waste.
In Spain, just 12% of used clothes are collected separately and 88% end up in landfill, according to official data.
Each resident discards 20 kilos of clothes a year compared to an average of seven kilos in Europe, authorities say.
During the year-long trial, Re-viste plans to set up dozens of containers in churches, stores, shopping centres and streets to collect the waste in bags and take it to plants for sorting.
Once the EU legislation comes into force, fashion companies estimate that Spain will need one textile waste container for every 1,200 residents.
