Circular Fashion News / June 24: Green Claims Directive, Textile sorting solution, Ghana's textile waste problem
Weekly edit of circular fashion news: last week included EU abandoning anti-greenwashing law, Ghana's textile waste crisis making news again, and the launch of an AI-powered textile sorting solution.
Welcome to reading a weekly recap of circular fashion news! Some of last week’s highlights in the circular fashion industry included:
The European Commission abandoned the Green Claims Directive
Unearthed and Greenpeace released an investigation into fast fashion clothing waste being dumped in Ghana’s protected wetlands
In 2024, 7% of clothing sales in France were secondhand, but the total amount of apparel purchases kept on growing
Fashion for Good and Altmat launched Fibre Club to help large-scale brands adopt next-gen fibers
A new tool is being built for the UK’s fashion industry to help navigate the regulation landscape
COLOURizd™ and Woolmark released a new textile colouring solution for wool
Nature Coatings non-toxic colour received GOTS certification
Girbau and RMX Recommerce launched a joint venture to scale clothing cleaning
An AI-powered sorting hub for textiles was launched by Cetia
Textile-to-textile recycler Circulose signed Mango as their first scaling partner
The European Commission is abandoning the Green Claims Directive (known as anti-greenwashing law)
The European Commission is abandoning the EU Green Claims Directive, also known as an anti-greenwashing law, which would’ve required companies to back up their green claims.
The decision was made just ahead of the negotiations to finalise the legislation. The Commission spokesperson stated: “The current discussions around the proposal go against the Commission’s simplification agenda, and it is therefore the Commission’s intention to withdraw the Green Claims legislative proposal.”
Abandoning the Green Claims Directive will mean that the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive (UCPD) remains as the main framework for green claims.
Unearthed and Greenpeace: Fast fashion clothing waste found in Ghana’s protected wetlands
A new investigation from Unearthed and Greenpeace Africa reveals that discarded clothes from brands such as H&M, Zara, Next, Primark, George (Asda), and Marks&Spencer have been found in protected wetlands in Ghana.
The discarded clothes were found in two recently established dump sites inside an internationally recognised wetland an hour outside Ghana’s capital city, Accra. The dumpsites containing mostly textile waste were found to cover 40 hectares, and it was revealed last year by Greenpeace Africa that the vast majority of clothes found in Ghana’s textile dumps are made from synthetic fibers.
ReFashion: 7% of clothing sales in France are secondhand, but the total amount of apparel purchases keeps on growing
While secondhand fashion is gaining ground, the overall clothing consumption in France is also on the rise. According to ReFashion, French consumers purchased 2.8 billion apparel items in 2024, which is an increase of 2.4% from the previous year.
In 2024, secondhand fashion made up 7.1% of total apparel sales, with the average price of a secondhand item at just $10.26.
Fashion for Good and Altmat launched Fibre Club to help large-scale brands adopt next-gen fibers
Fashion For Good has partnered with Altmat, a pioneering materials science company transforming agricultural waste into high-value materials, to advance its innovative Fibre Club initiative. The Altag® Fibre Club is designed to help large-scale brands to adopt next-generation fibres from agri-residue at scale.
New tool for the UK’s fashion industry to help navigate the regulation landscape
The Institute’s Textiles Transparency Team (MFITT) at Manchester Metropolitan University has created a compliance tool, Fashtrax, to provide the UK fashion and textile sector straightforward guidance on legal standards, including the upcoming EU Digital Product Passport (DPP).
The tool is currently being developed and will be tested by 20 industry partners this summer, with a full release scheduled for late 2025.
COLOURizd™ and Woolmark developed a new textile colouring solution for wool
Woolmark and COLOURizd™ have introduced a new method, QuantumCOLOUR™, to colour wool and wool blends while significantly reducing resource consumption. The method uses 0.5L of water per kilogram of yarn, and eliminates the need for bleaching, pre-treatment, and wastewater discharge.
A non-toxic colour from biochemical firm Nature Coatings received GOTS certification
Nature Coatings, a US-based biochemical company, has received GOTS certification for its BioBlack TX pigment. Made from pre-consumer wood waste, BioBlack TX is carbon-negative and free from toxic chemicals and heavy metals. It can be used in textile printing, leather and PU coatings, and other applications.
Girbau and RMX Recommerce created a joint venture, Opera Garment Solutions, to scale clothing cleaning
Girbau (a provider of industrial laundry solutions) and RMX Recommerce (a resale and recommerce service provider) have launched a joint venture, Opera Garment Solutions.
The aim of Opera Garment Solutions is to help fashion brands recover value from unsellable or returned clothing by offering access to a wide network of professional textile cleaning specialists. Their service allows garments to be cleaned and prepared for resale quickly and locally. The company is currently seeking partner brands to pilot the solution.
An AI-powered sorting hub for textiles was launched by Cetia and ReFashion
A French company, Cetia, has launched a textile sorting solution, SensorHUB, to automate the sorting of end-of-life textiles and shoes. The hub uses a combination of 2D/3D vision, hyperspectral imaging, NIR sensors, X-rays, and AI to identify textile materials, colours, and complex elements like zippers and linings.
Developed in response to the growing volume of collected garments, SensorHUB aims to improve the accuracy and efficiency of directing textiles toward suitable recycling pathways. The project is supported by Refashion, and industrial testing is expected to begin this fall.
→ See the sorting hub in action
Circulose signed Mango as their first scaling partner after the relaunch – After relaunching last year, Circulose (previously Renewcell) has signed their first scaling partner: Spanish fashion group Mango. The CEO of Circulose, Jonatan Janmark, stated: “Mango’s strong commitment brings us one step closer to restarting the factory and sets a powerful example for the industry. We hope it will inspire other brands to follow their lead.”
A shirt from triple recycled cellulose fiber was revealed – A research institute, TITK, presented a fiber-to-fiber recycled shirt made from cellulose fiber. The shirt was developed using their Lyohemp® process, based on lyocell technology and hemp pulp, and the fiber maintained its quality through three recycling cycles without the need for virgin input.
Crocs expands take-back program to Europe – Crocs will launch their take-back program in the UK, Germany, France, Austria, and the Netherlands. The shoes returned through the program will be recycled with Dutch recycling partner FastFeet Grinded.
Study: Exploring the Environmental Impact of Textile Recycling in Europe: A Consequential Life Cycle Assessment – A study by IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute examines the environmental consequences of implementing textile-to-textile recycling at scale in the EU by 2035. The study found that increasing textile-to-textile recycling in the EU to just 10% by 2035 could cut annual CO₂ emissions by 440,000 tonnes and reduce water scarcity impacts by 8.8 billion cubic meters.
Article: The future of fashion according to tomorrow’s designers in FashionUnited – Article featuring three graduates from the Amsterdam Fashion Institute (AMFI) explaining how they envision the future of fashion. The topics range from sewing your own clothes and the rise of sewing cafes, upcycling, and digital fashion.
Secondhand online store: Paradigme – French secondhand fashion online store featuring premium brands such as Maje, Sandro, and Sezane. The store delivers currently to France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Portugal, and Austria.
Educational resource: Biofab – This learning site by Biofabricate is a great, simple resource for learning more about biomaterials, their use cases, and the state of the industry. With the free membership you can access the Level 1 content on the site.
That is all for now, let’s hear again next week! In the meantime, let’s continue the discussion in the comments, LinkedIn, or Instagram <3
xx Tiina
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