Support for Textieltafel conclusions, call for EPR Textiles improvements
Stichting UPV Textiel has signed the report of the Dutch Textieltafel, published today. The Textieltafel is a sector-wide platform established to accelerate the transition towards a circular textile value chain. Stichting UPV Textiel supports the report’s findings, including the recommendation to appoint an independent envoy. At the same time, the foundation draws attention to shortcomings in the EPR system that receive only limited attention in the report.
Stichting UPV Textiel shares the ambition of further strengthening the circular textile value chain. The organisation appreciates the efforts made within the remit of the Textieltafel to identify the challenges facing textile collection, sorting and recycling, and to develop potential solutions. However, experiences from the first year of implementation show that, alongside financial and operational shortcomings in the processing chain, the design of the system itself is a key factor in determining whether EPR can effectively contribute to the transition. In this context, Stichting UPV Textiel has identified three fundamental flaws in the EPR Textiles legislation that hinder the effective implementation of the scheme as a whole. Stichting UPV Textiel therefore looks forward to the next phase, under the leadership of the independent envoy, to work on solutions to these barriers and to contribute jointly to the transition towards a circular textile value chain.
Three fundamental flaws
Drawing on the experiences of the first implementation period, Stichting UPV Textiel calls for action to address three fundamental flaws in the EPR Textiles scheme:
1. Targets that do not adequately reflect the lifespan of textiles
Textiles remain in use for increasingly longer periods, are passed on to others, or find a second life through second-hand platforms. However, the current EPR targets are linked to the volumes of textiles placed on the market in the previous year, even though these products are often not yet available for collection and processing. This creates a perverse incentive: producer responsibility organisations are encouraged to ‘find’ as much textile waste as possible for processing, while extending the lifespan of textiles should in fact be the preferred outcome.
2. A fragmented fee system.
Producer responsibility organisations compete within the same scheme, but without uniform minimum criteria governing the execution of their responsibilities. This can lead to differences in approach, uncertainty across the value chain, and limited comparability of results.
3. Insufficient alignment with the international textile value chain.
Production, collection, reuse and recycling all take place within an international value chain, with textile flows constantly moving across national borders. While the textile sector is organised largely on an international scale, the EPR targets are focused on the Netherlands. This lack of alignment with the global textile value chain limits both the effectiveness of circular solutions and investment in their development.
Next steps
The report of the Textieltafel recommends the appointment of an independent envoy to support stakeholders in reaching agreements on the further development and implementation of the scheme. Stichting UPV Textiel sees this appointment as an excellent opportunity to build on the practical experience gained to date and to work together with stakeholders across the value chain to address the identified flaws, thereby creating a future-proof foundation for the continued development of EPR Textiles. “Practical experience gained over the past year provides a valuable opportunity to further strengthen the scheme. By looking not only at costs and financing, but also at how the system itself operates, we can build a robust and future-proof framework that supports the ambitions for a circular textile value chain,” said Joris Aperghis, Chair of Stichting UPV Textiel.
