site.btaTextile Waste: Challenges and Opportunities

Since January 1, 2025, countries in the European Union (EU) have been required to separately collect textile products for reuse and recycling, under the EU Waste Framework Directive.

Every year, the EU generates almost 12.6 million tonnes of textile waste. Clothing and footwear alone account for 5.2 million tonnes. Consumption of textiles in the EU is increasing, In 2019, the average per person was 17 kg, rising to 19 kg in 2022 - enough to fill a large suitcase with clothes. At the same time, 12 kg of clothing per person is discarded annually. The problem is not only European but global - less than 1% of all textiles worldwide are recycled into new products, according to the European Commission.

In July 2023, the European Commission proposed a revision of EU waste rules, including textile waste, and in September 2025, the European Parliament approved new measures to prevent and reduce textile waste across the EU.

What will follow

Under the new EU rules, producers offering textile products in the EU will be required to cover the costs of collection, sorting, and recycling through new Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) schemes, which each member state must establish within 30 months of the directive taking effect.

These rules apply to all producers, including those using e-commerce, whether based inside or outside the EU.

Micro-enterprises will have an extra year to comply with the new EPR requirements.

The new rules cover products such as clothing and accessories, hats and shoes, blankets, bedding, tablecloths, and curtains.

By initiative of the European Parliament, EU member states may also create EPR schemes for mattress producers.

Member states are also expected to consider ultra-fast fashion and fast fashion practices when determining financial contributions to the EPR schemes, according to the European Parliament’s decision.

What is done in Bulgaria

According to the Bulgarian Association for Circular Textiles, in 2024, over 8,000 tonnes of textile waste were separately collected in Bulgaria, including industrial textile waste. By comparison, in 2023, about 6,500 tonnes were collected, showing a real increase in collected volumes and growing public engagement, said Sirma Zheleva, Executive Director of the association, in an interview with BTA.

From the textiles collected via separate collection containers, at least 70% is typically prepared for reuse or recycling, with reuse remaining the priority due to its highest environmental value. Preliminary data for 2025 show that by the end of September, over 6,000 tonnes of textile waste had already been collected, indicating that citizens continue to actively use the existing systems, Zheleva noted.

However, she pointed out that there is currently no legislative framework clearly defining responsibilities, funding, and sustainable operation of textile collection systems. At present, the systems rely on voluntary partnerships between companies involved in textile collection and recycling and individual municipalities, without national coverage and without a guaranteed long-term financing mechanism, Zheleva added.

What’s in store

In Bulgaria, the legal obligation for separate collection of textile waste is included in a bill amending and supplementing the Waste Management Act, prepared by the Ministry of Environment and Water and submitted to the National Assembly.

Separate collection of textile waste is not yet fully implemented as a mandatory national system, but it is already practiced in many municipalities through voluntary schemes and pilot projects, the Ministry told BTA.

Detailed responsibilities will be defined with the adoption of an Ordinance on Footwear and Textile Waste, in accordance with the deadlines set by the European Commission for transposing Directive (EU) 2025/1898 of the European Parliament and the Council of 10 September 2025, amending Directive 2008/98/EC on waste. According to the directive, member states must transpose it by 17 June 2027 at the latest, the Ministry said.

The new rules plan to adjust producer fees based on the durability and environmental characteristics of the textiles they produce. The Environment Ministry explained that eco-modulation is a mechanism under Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), where the fee paid by textile producers and importers is determined by the product’s environmental characteristics. The goal is to encourage production and market placement of more sustainable textiles and to reduce the overall volume of textile waste.

With eco-modulation, the product fee is reduced or increased depending on whether the product is easier to recycle, contains recyclable or recycled materials, is durable and repairable, is made through environmentally friendly processes, contains hazardous chemicals, or is made of mixed fibers that complicate recycling.

Bulgaria will follow common European practices, which will also be applied to textile waste, the Ministry added.

The example of Stara Zagora

One of the first Bulgarian municipalities to start implementing circular economy solutions in the textile sector is Stara Zagora, which was also the first Bulgarian municipality to join the international TEXAD project in 2024.

In an interview with BTA, Rositsa Raykova, Head of the Department for Investments, Energy Efficiency, and Green Transition, explained that the project combines waste management policies with the principles of the circular economy and the Green Transition through an integrated, practice-oriented approach. This approach goes beyond treating textile waste as merely the final phase in a product’s life cycle.

Currently, in Stara Zagora, the TEXAD project is in the analysis and planning phase. Next year, the focus will be on updating the Waste Management Program, which for the first time will include a separate chapter dedicated entirely to managing textile and footwear waste.

The measures included in this chapter will be fully coordinated with all stakeholders, ensuring that the solutions are practical, not just formal, and supported by both business and society, Raykova emphasized.

Additionally, indicators will be developed to assess the real impact of the measures implemented. In March 2026, the city will host a seminar on financing circular solutions in the textile industry.

The ecodesign for sustainable products regulation (ESPR)

In 2024, the European Parliament adopted a new regulation on ecodesign (ESPR). Ecodesign refers to designing products in a way that minimizes their negative environmental impact throughout their entire life cycle.

The regulation covers various sectors, including the fashion industry, and introduces requirements and minimum standards for durability of products, repairability, energy efficiency and recyclability

It also requires large companies to report the number of unsold items they destroy each year and the reasons for doing so. Starting in 2026, the destruction of unsold clothing, footwear, and accessories will be banned across the EU.

Improving the durability of fashion products is part of the EU’s broader effort to achieve a circular economy by 2050.