Global Fashion Agenda And ReHubs Launch 2030 Circularity Blueprint To Transform Europe's Textile Recycling
Copenhagen - 6 May 2026 – The European Union textile system has reached a critical turning point, with less than one percent of discarded garments currently recycled into new clothing despite obligations for separate collection.
In response to this pressing environmental challenge, Global Fashion Agenda and ReHubs have officially launched the 2030 Circularity Blueprint.
Building upon previous sustainability commitments, the Blueprint identifies the systemic bottlenecks hindering progress and outlines a clear pathway to unlock the estimated €8 billion to €11 billion in capital expenditure required for robust recycling infrastructure.
The initiative introduces eight interconnected intervention areas designed to address these systemic barriers comprehensively.
These areas encompass establishing a shared framework for sustainable materials, creating a textile waste intelligence platform, securing long-term offtake commitments, and ensuring circularity at the product design stage.
Furthermore, the plan emphasises building effective textile collection systems, providing demand certainty for sorters, developing regional hub infrastructure for pre-sorting, and executing a coordinated roadmap for recycling infrastructure at scale.
When correctly implemented, these interventions aim to transform voluntary ambitions into investment-grade infrastructure, targeting an industrial capacity of 2.7 million tonnes of textile-to-textile recycling by 2035.
As part of the immediate rollout, two collaborative programmes are commencing, focusing on a waste intelligence platform led by ReHubs and targeted efforts to close the critical collection and sorting gaps.
To catalyse this urgent transition, Global Fashion Agenda is also issuing a Call to Action for a Targeted Policy Incentive Framework to unlock the secondary raw materials market, where recycled inputs currently command a premium ranging from 20 percent to double the price of virgin materials.
Federica Marchionni, Chief Executive Officer of Global Fashion Agenda, stated, "The vision for a textile circular economy is clear, and innovation is gaining ground. Yet progress is stalled by supply-demand deadlocks, compounded by a fragmented landscape where initiatives and stakeholders operate in silos, often unaware of their interdependence. Furthermore, without precise incentives to align efforts and investment, progress cannot move at the pace required."
Evan Wiener, Interim Chief Operating Officer and Board Advisor to ReHubs, added, “Unlocking textile circularity at scale requires the full value chain to move together. ReHubs brings leading organisations from across the textile recycling value chain to the same table to align interests, orchestrate investment, and turn fragmented efforts into a functioning ecosystem. This collaborative initiative directly supports our strategy to industrialise textile-to-textile recycling and break the supply-demand deadlock at scale.”
About Global Fashion Agenda
Global Fashion Agenda is a leading forum and non-profit organisation that fosters industry collaboration to drive the transition to a sustainable and circular fashion ecosystem.
By convening industry leaders, policymakers, and innovators, the organisation accelerates collective action to transform the global textile industry into one that prioritises planetary health and ethical practices.
