Textiles are essential in the EU’s shift towards a circular economy, sustainability, and climate neutrality, accounting for 4 to 6% of the EU’s ecological footprint. To explore the potential of the circular economy in the EU fashion textiles value chain, this study carried out a literature review to collect data and used system dynamics modelling to assess the potential of the circular economy. The results show that landfilling of clothing consumed and produced in the EU will increase from 3.3 million tonnes in 2018 to 5.8 million tonnes per year. Around 95% of this amount represents the lost value. The findings show that the projected increase in textile sorting capacity in the EU is insufficient to contribute to the target reduction of municipal waste streams by 2030. Moreover - sorting rates are declining. Two strategies were analysed: clothing sorting and consumption reduction. The system dynamics model led to the conclusion that it is more effective to prioritise measures aimed at reducing clothing consumption rather than focusing solely on increasing sorting capacity. However, it should be kept in mind that sorting and recycling are in any case necessary to create a circular economy. This study reduces uncertainty and knowledge gaps in the literature and can be used for policy planning.

Global annual textile consumption has doubled in the last two decades and is expected to keep increasing. Since the textile system operates primarily in a linear way, it is highly polluting and creates a lot of waste. But nevertheless, it has a high potential for circularity since most textile products can be recycled or reused. Today most of the waste ends up in landfills, and less than 1 % is recycled back into textiles. This study aims to gather information and evaluate which textile product group has the highest potential for circular economy growth. It covers three main textile product streams: fashion, home, and technical textiles. The groups were compared using fifteen criteria: environmental impact, washes, landfilled waste, recycled waste, origin of fabric, projected lifetime, market demand, production volume, international trade, labour productivity, value added, energy efficiency of production technologies, innovation capacity, employment, and enterprises. Input values have been found for each sustainability indicator by using and mathematically transforming data from the scientific literature. The evaluation method used in this study was multi-criteria decision analysis. The results indicated that the fashion textile group has the most significant potential for circular economy development, mainly because it is the largest textile product stream, and the development of a circular economy could be cost-effective.

The Waste Framework Directive mandates that, starting from January 1, 2025, separate collection of textiles must be introduced in all Member States of the European Union. The aim of separate collection is to promote the circular economy in the textile system by creating favorable conditions for recycling and reuse. However, in order to promote recycling, there are still challenges in terms of textile variety and mixtures. Currently, there are no commercially viable technologies to recycle mixed textiles without sorting back into textiles or high value-added products. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine if there are products in the research process that could be obtained from post-consumer mixed textile waste and, if so, to assess which is the most suitable for further development based on economic, environmental, social and technical factors. Two methods were applied: literature analysis and multi-criteria decision analysis. A total of 27 research articles were identified, but only four were selected for further analysis based on their relevance to the research objective. The products obtained in the selected studies were (1) bio-oil and terephthalic acid, (2) textile-reinforced composite for building applications, (3) mycelium-based composite for thermal insulation and (4) textile fibers (cotton and nylon), spandex monomers and bis(2-hydroxyethyl) terephthalate. The multi-criteria decision analysis showed that mycelium-based composite has the highest potential for further development. Future research should focus on scaling up the production of mycelium-based material and conducting a more detailed assessment of the economic, social and environmental impacts.

The EU’s energy targets are to achieve at least 32% renewables in the energy mix by 2030. Part of the solution is strengthening consumer rights by empowering individuals to generate their own electricity. The aim of this study was to identify the most suitable energy system for electricity generation of up to 50 kW in the EU residential sector. Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis was used to compare four systems: proton exchange membrane fuel cell with photovoltaic panels, photovoltaic panels, biomass-powered Stirling engine, and solar-powered Stirling engine. Based on the results, the most beneficial system for household electricity generation is the biomass-fueled Stirling engine system due to its affordability, reliability, and low environmental impact. Governments and businesses can use these findings to improve information for the residential sector and enable the transition to renewable energy.

Global annual textile consumption has doubled in the last two decades and is expected to keep increasing [1]. Since the textile system operates primarily in a linear way, it is highly polluting and creates a lot of waste. But nevertheless, it has a high potential for circularity since most textile products can be recycled or reused. Today most of the waste ends up in landfills, and less than 1% is recycled back into textiles [2]. This study aims to gather information and evaluate which textile product group has the highest potential for circular economy growth. It covers three main textile product streams: fashion, home, and technical textiles. The groups were compared using eleven criteria: environmental impact, washes, market demand, technology energy efficiency, social aspect, production, export/import, landfilled waste, recycled waste, synthetic materials, projected lifetime. Indicative values have been found for each sustainability indicator by using and mathematically transforming data from the scientific literature. The evaluation method used in this study was multi-criteria decision analysis. The results indicated that the fashion textile group has the most significant potential for circular economy development.