New sectoral agreement for a more circular Danish textile industry

Ahead of CPHFW the Ministry of Environment announced a launch of a sectoral agreement within the fashion and textile industry which obliges companies to recycle and use more recycled materials by 2030

With Copenhagen Fashion Week opening tomorrow through fairs, shows and meetings across the industry, ten Danish clothing and textile companies and three organisations have acknowledged the necessity to work together to significantly reduce the industry's footprint on climate through circular commitments.

The consumption of clothing and textiles is increasing in Europe, and it is estimated that an average European consumes 15kg of clothing and textiles per year. Therefore, companies, organisations and the Ministry of Environment have come together to set a number of common targets including that all clothing and textiles from participating Danish companies must consist of at least 40% recycled material by 2030. The agreement asks for textiles and clothes to be designed for longevity and for a larger part of the turnover to come from recycled materials.

"Our consumption is far too high, and it wears down the planet's scarce resources. The production of clothes and textiles is one of the most environmentally damaging industries in the world. So we have to get away from the use-and-throw-away culture, like the fashion industry today is characterised by. It resonates in the industry and internationally when Danish textile companies - large and small - undertake to reduce their climate and environmental footprint. Denmark must be among the leaders in the green transformation of the fashion and textile industry," says the Minister of the Environment Lea Wermelin.

Maria Glæsel, director of fashion company Aiayu, has been elected as the person in charge of the sector collaboration. She is happy that the industry and the ministry are collaborating on the circular restructuring because it requires both the goodwill of companies and structural changes:

"It is important that we bring the industry together in a common direction, and that is why I am proud to be appointed as the front person. My wish is that we can bring industry players together for common goals and exchange experiences that lead to action. Only together can we meet the major challenges facing the industry. It is important for the industry that the minister supports it, because the transition will also require structural changes. I am happy to be at the front of a sectoral collaboration that can help us with a joint circular transition.”

The Minister of the Environment is the initiator of the sectoral cooperation, and the Lifestyle & Design Cluster will function as a secretariat with, among other things, the preparation of an action plan, data collection and servicing of the steering group. All Danish textile companies can join the goals and the sectoral cooperation.

The participating brands and organisations currently are:

AIAYU

Bestseller

DK-Company

Salling Group

Ganni

JYSK

Dansk Wilton

Mammut Hoffmann

Trendsales

Green Cotton

Dansk Mode & Textil

Wear/Dansk Erhverv

Lifestyle & Design Cluster

Miljøstyrelsen

More information about the sector agreement:

• The goals in the textile sector agreement will be operationalized in action plans and the industry can decide to set further goals later on in the collaboration
• Targets and requirements are drawn up with an outlook to future requirements in the EU with the aim that Danish take-aways can play a role in the implementation of initiatives under the EU's textile strategy
• An overall baseline is developed across the sector so that the overall progress of the sector cooperation can be measured. In addition, baselines are drawn up and data is collected from the participating companies with the goal to monitor the goals
• The sector collaboration will be expanded to include Norway, Sweden and Finland from 2023.

Textile production facts in the EU:

• European consumption of textiles is in fourth place with the largest negative impact on both the environment and climate, after food, housing and transport
• The production of textiles for the EU emitted 121 million tonnes of CO2 in 2020, or the equivalent of 270kg CO2 per person
• Approx. 80% of textiles' climate footprint is in the production phase. 17% is in the use phase and only 3%. in the waste phase
• Large quantities of primary raw materials are consumed for textile production: The European Environment Agency estimates that the equivalent of 391 kg was used per person to produce all clothing, footwear and household textiles purchased by EU households in 2020
• Textile consumption in the EU is expected to increase by 63% towards 2030.
• In March 2022, the EU published a textile strategy with a vision that textile products in the EU in 2030 should last longer, be recyclable, free of dangerous substances and produced with respect for social standards.
• The global production of clothing emits over 1.2 billion tonnes of CO2e.
  
  

Further information: 
Communications advisor Anne Fønss Bach, Ministry of Environment, tel. +45 21 27 97 37, e- mail: anfba@mim.dk