Textile End of Waste - state of the art of regulations and potential critical issues

The textile/fashion sector is at the centre of the most profound regulatory transformation in its recent history. The definition of European End of Waste (EoW) criteria for textiles represents the watershed between a linear economy and a truly circular model. However, the imminent introduction of these community rules is raising profound questions among industry professionals. The question that currently divides the sector is crucial: will the new regulation act as a driver of development, or will it become a multiplier of critical issues for European production districts?
The European textile manufacturing industry is not starting from scratch. For years, companies across the continent have been investing heavily in technologies, research and traceability, making extraordinary efforts to reduce the environmental impact of supply chains. Historic centres of excellence – led by districts such as the Italian Textile District of Prato – have demonstrated over the decades that sustainability and mechanical recycling are not merely future goals, but well-established industrial realities, capable of transforming waste into high-quality manufactured goods.
The concrete risk today is that a legislative framework imposed from above and overly rigid could bureaucratise or, worse, paralyse these already existing virtuous flows. For this reason, it is vital that legislators engage in a systematic and transparent dialogue with supply chain operators. Without carefully listening to those who experience and implement manufacturing on a daily basis, there is a risk of introducing regulations that are theoretically perfect but technically unworkable, capable of undermining the sector's competitiveness on global markets.
This seminar is designed to foster debate on this delicate balance between environmental ambition and industrial resilience. The conference will bring together European and national Policy maker with the most authoritative voices from industry and certification, to analyse the state of the art and chart the routes of a transition that is sustainable both for the planet and for businesses.

Program

Moderator:
Vittoria Moccagatta, economiacircolare.com

The textile EoW proposal drawn up by JRC
Speaker JRC (TBC)

Mechanical recycling: how it works today and the lexical misunderstanding
Gabriele Innocenti, CTN

The Position of the European Textile Industry
Speaker Euratex (TBC)

Certifications as a tool to support policy
Paolo Foglia, Centrocot

The role of the national legislator
Speaker Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security (TBD)