A striking display of four tons of discarded clothing has recently been set up in Prague to raise awareness about the environmental toll of textile waste. Each Czech citizen throws away an average of 10 to 12 kilograms of textiles every year. Starting in 2025, Czech municipalities will be required to introduce separate collection and recycling programs for textile waste. Transitioning to a circular textile economy will require new collaboration between producers, retailers, consumers, waste processors, and local governments. ”Our goal is to turn this waste into useful products, such as insulation materials or even new clothing, ” said Matej Chytil from Prague City Hall.
With Europe discarding millions of tons of garments annually, Czechia is implementing a compulsory textile recycling program to address environmental and landfill concerns. The Ministry of the Environment announced plans to implement compulsory textile waste collection as of 2025.
See some other European city initiatives include restricting advertisements in public spaces to reduce consumerist pressures (Lille, Grenoble, and Lyon); implementing repair incentives to reimburse citizens for repair costs (Austria); supporting product-as-a-service models such as clothing libraries like Copenhagen’s Det Kollektive Klædeskab to promote sharing and reduce waste; hosting sustainable fashion events to unite ethical fashion actors (Ghent’s Fair Fashion Fest and Geneva’s GardReObes); and many more.
Indeed, 100 billion new clothes are made each year and only 1% is recycled. That’s how we get “fashion graveyards” visible from space (Chile’s Atacama Desert). And textile waste accounts for 10% of all greenhouse gas emissions, consumes natural resources, and causes water pollution.
A simple action all can take: Shop less, second-hand where possible, and use your clothes as long as possible.
https://english.news.cn/europe/20241113/7b562a2b2903479ca0b16b022bc17e85/c.html