The fashion industry now places an unprecedented burden on the environment, with annual clothing sales exceeding 100 billion items worldwide and output having surged to twice its former level over the past ten years. As a result, discarded textiles have emerged as one of the most rapidly expanding waste streams globally. Despite this, circular practices remain extremely limited, as under 1% of used textiles are reintegrated into new fashion products, while the overwhelming majority are either burned or disposed of in landfills. This challenge is evident in the 5 involved territories (Egypt, Italy, Lebanon, Spain, and Tunisia), where systems for large-scale textile reuse and recycling are still insufficient to counteract the environmental consequences of the prevailing linear fashion model.
Waste2Fashion is a regional project addressing the growing challenge of textile waste by promoting circular economy solutions in the fashion sector in five mediterranean countries: Egypt, Italy, Lebanon, Spain, and Tunisia. Its main objective is to reduce textile waste and environmental impacts by establishing sustainable systems for textile waste collection, sorting, and pre-recycling. The project combines practical pilots with capacity building and innovation support. It develops local textile waste value chains, trains designers and start-ups in eco-design, and supports circular business models through acceleration activities. Key expected achievements include operational pilot systems, a new generation of circular fashion practitioners, and viable business models for long-term textile waste valorisation. Through engagement with policymakers and key stakeholders, Waste2Fashion also supports policy uptake and integration of circular textiles into waste and industry frameworks.