#USA #Paris #Reju #Textile Waste #Circular Textile Coalition

Shaping a Waste-Free Future: The European Circular Textile Coalition

On October 14, 2025, Reju, alongside 11 other companies involved in the textile value chain, launched the European Circular Textile Coalition. This coalition aims to advocate for a circular textile economy within Europe, emphasizing the urgent need to address textile waste produced annually.

Currently, Europe generates an astonishing 12.6 million tons of textile waste, with most either ending up in landfills, getting incinerated, or being exported, while only 1% is recycled into new clothing. The coalition firmly states, "We refuse to accept textile waste as a necessity; we see it as a solvable challenge for our generation."

The coalition is pressing European institutions to utilize consumer textile waste as a driving force for green jobs, innovation, and competitiveness. They call for immediate actions at the EU level, pushing for regulatory ambitions to align with necessary investments in recycling and manufacturing systems.

"Without a prepared system, even the most promising regulations are at risk of failing. We are here to help bridge that gap," emphasizes the coalition’s manifesto.

To achieve significant change, the coalition has outlined a program based on three main political pillars:
1. Strengthen the European textile value chain by returning production to Europe, compliant with environmental and labor standards.
2. Prioritize high-quality textile recycling, turning consumer textile waste into primary raw materials for new textiles.
3. Establish minimum recycled material content in textiles, with ambitious yet realistic targets to be implemented gradually.

Patrik Frisk, CEO of Reju, remarked, "Reju is committed to systemic changes, believing that change occurs through collaboration. Thus, the assembly is crucial for collective advocacy for transformation. We need to unite within the industry and welcome more companies to join us."

Frisk added, "Voluntary efforts have proven to be fundamentally insufficient; we need binding standards to increase the demand for recycled materials."

The coalition is embarking on an advocacy tour to engage policymakers and invites other stakeholders from the entire textile value chain to join its mission. „Now is the time to act—because if we can achieve a world without waste, we can no longer afford to wait!"

About the European Circular Textile Coalition

The coalition comprises businesses throughout the textile value chain, including Reju, Resortecs, COLEO, Tissage de Charlieu, Synergies TLC, Nouvelles Fibres Textiles, Sympany, European Spinning Group, Ariadne, Erdotex, Utexbel, and Noyfil.

About Reju

Reju is a material regeneration company focused on creating innovative solutions for recycling polyester textiles and PET waste from consumers. Owned by Technip Energies and leveraging technology sourced from IBM research, Reju aims to unlock infinite possibilities within limited resources. The goal is to establish a global textile recycling system for regenerating and circulating polyester textiles. For more information, visit Reju's website.