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Copenhagen (dpa) – People in the European Union are consuming more clothing, shoes, and other textiles than ever before. This is stated by the European Environment Agency EEA in a new report that it intends to officially present on Wednesday.
According to this, EU citizens purchased an estimated average of 19 kilograms of textiles in the most recent comparison year 2022, including 8 kilograms of clothing, 4 kilograms of shoes, and 7 kilograms of household textiles.
That’s enough to fill a large suitcase with new textiles, emphasize the experts of the EU agency based in Copenhagen. In 2019, the total amount was still 17 kilograms, and in the years before that between 14 and 17 kilograms.
Consequences for Environment and Climate
According to the EEA, textile consumption imposes significant burdens on the environment and climate, such as through the consumption of materials, water, and land, but also in the form of emissions, chemicals, and microplastics. The report shows that politics, industry, and consumers must contribute to ensuring that Europe moves away from fast fashion and better, more durable textiles are manufactured that can be reused, repaired, and recycled. Innovations towards a circular economy could ultimately also contribute to the EU’s competitiveness, the report says.
Overall, around 6.94 million tons of textile waste were generated in the 27 EU member states in 2022. This corresponds to about 16 kilograms per person. Environmental experts see a problem in the fact that far too many discarded textiles still end up in mixed household waste instead of recycling waste: In the comparison year, 85 percent of all household textile waste was not separately collected.
No More Clothing in General Waste
The EEA is pinning its hopes on a new EU directive having an effect in this regard: Since January 1, 2025, textiles must be disposed of separately from general waste. Old clothes and used textiles may therefore no longer be thrown into the general waste.
The EEA does not break down consumption quantities for individual EU countries. The report also pointed out that the estimated amounts are associated with a certain degree of uncertainty. They are therefore calculated from production and import minus export of textiles. (March 25)