Fuente: EEA, https://www.eea.europa.eu

Artículo publicado el 27 de febrero de 2023


Europe’s used textiles are an increasing waste and export problem

«Textiles are on average the fourth-highest source of pressure on the environment and climate change from a European consumption perspective, as shown in previous EEA briefings. Europe faces major challenges managing used textiles, including textiles waste. As reuse and recycling capacities in Europe are limited, a large share of used textiles collected in the EU is traded and exported to Africa and Asia, and their fate is highly uncertain. The common public perception of used clothing donations as generous gifts to people in need does not fully match reality.»

«The amount of used textiles exported from the European Union (EU) has tripled over the past two decades, and the amounts may increase further, according to the EEA briefing ‘EU exports of used textiles in Europe’s circular economy’. The briefing is based on a more detailed analysis by the EEA’s European Topic Centre of Circular Economy and Resource Use.

Europe faces major challenges in the management of used textiles, which are to be collected separately in the EU by 2025. As reuse and recycling capacities in Europe are limited, a large share of discarded and donated clothing and other textile products are exported to Africa and Asia. Common public perceptions that used clothing donations are always of use in those regions do not reflect the reality. Once exported, the fate of used textiles is often uncertain, according to the EEA briefing which looks at the patterns of and trends in EU exports of used textiles from 2000 to 2019.

According to analysed data from the United Nations, EU exports of textiles have increased and shifted from mainly African destinations to both Africa and Asia. The briefing also shows how some challenges related to these exports are being addressed in current and proposed EU policies. In the EU strategy on sustainable and circular textiles, published in March 2022, the need for addressing the challenges from exports is specifically mentioned.

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El artículo completo y todos los detalles se pueden encontrar aquí:  https://www.eea.europa.eu/highlights/used-textiles-are-an-increasing

Se podrá descargar el documento «EU exports of used textiles in Europe’s circular economy» mencionado,  en el enlace:  https://www.eea.europa.eu/publications/eu-exports-of-used-textiles/eu-exports-of-used-textiles