This report presents results from The Nordic Textile Collaboration, a project launched in 2022 by Danish, Finnish, Norwegian and Swedish environmental authorities. The project addresses the shared environmental and climate challenges associated with the rising consumption of textiles in the Nordic countries, with the aims of:

The project is funded by the Nordic Council of Ministers as part of the program Vision 2030. The project contributes particularly to the visions for "A green Nordic" and “A competitive Nordic” by promoting circular economy, as well as sustainable and competitive production; activating and involving Nordic consumers, with the aim of promoting sustainable consumption; and supporting knowledge sharing and innovation to fully exploit the development opportunities created by green, technological and digital transformation.

Find more information about Vision 2030 in this report: Nordic Council of Ministers (2020) The Nordic Region – towards being the most sustainable and integrated region in the world. Action Plan for 2021–2024. https://www.norden.org/en/publication/nordic-region-towards-being-most-sustainable-and-integrated-region-world (accessed 10-09-2024)

The Nordic Textile Collaboration is coordinated and carried out by the Danish Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), with guidance from a steering committee consisting of members from Nordic environmental protection agencies, and supported by a Nordic reference group with experts from across the Nordic textile value chain.

The Danish Ministry of Environment and Gender Equality, The Finnish Environment Institute SYKE, The Norwegian Environment Agency (Miljødirektoratet), The Swedish Environmental Protection Agency (Naturvårdsverket).

The Danish Environmental Protection Agency.

Avfall Norge, Avfall Sverige, Brancheforeningen Cirkulær, DAKOFA, Dansk Mode & Textil, Designskolen Kolding, Det Kongelige Akademi, Forbrugerrådet TÆNK, ISOBRO, KIVO, Lifestyle and Design Cluster, NF&TA, Science Park Borås, Suomen Tekstiili & Muoti, Turku University of Applied Science.

2022–2024 

The project was carried out in three phases:                                                                                        

Planning the project, including mapping sustainable textile initiatives in the participating countries (Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden) to create recommendations for new initiatives.

Preparing and carrying out selected initiatives based on the recommendations from the mapping.

Reporting and disseminating project results.

The report presents the content and achievements of The Nordic Textile Collaboration, while also providing an overview of Nordic knowledge and expertise regarding the circular transition of fashion and textiles. In this way, the report shares conclusions and recommendations for promoting a circular textile economy in the Nordics. It also serves as a reference tool for anyone who wishes to get in touch with specific experts and research environments in the Nordics or who wishes to build on existing knowledge and projects when designing new activities and interventions related to a circular economy and textiles.

In addition to the report, the project’s results are also available in several other formats on the project’s website, including video testimonies from participants, visual highlights, and educational materials, as well as webinar slides and recordings.

The project website is accessible here: https://mst.dk/erhverv/groen-produktion-og-affald/affald-og-genanvendelse/affaldshaandtering/affaldsfraktioner/tekstilaffald/the-nordic-textile-collaboration

The report consists of six chapters:

Chapter 1 sets the scene focusing on the current challenges related to the production and the consumption of textiles from a Nordic perspective.

Chapter 2 shares insights gained from mapping existing initiatives in the Nordic countries with an emphasis on how the mapping laid the foundation for identifying and determining the focus areas for the project.

Chapter 3 presents findings from the initiative Active Textile Society, where Nordic companies and citizens engaged in a joint effort focusing on extending the lifespan of textiles. During webinars and workshops about circular solutions, such as repairs, redesigns, reuse and rentals, participants identified barriers to implementing these methods, and solutions that can overcome them. At the same time, participants completed a six-month challenge, which ran from January to June 2024, where companies tested circular business models and citizens used circular solutions in society to fulfill their wardrobe needs as an alternative to shopping for new clothes and textiles. The first part of the chapter provides lessons learned from the webinars and workshops. The second part shares conclusions regarding the journey of participating companies and citizens based on surveys done during the initiative.

Chapter 4 presents key take-aways from the initiative Sharing Nordic Circular Competences. Sharing Nordic Circular Competences established a Nordic network bringing into focus circular design, recycled materials and best practices for collecting, sorting and treating textile waste. The initiative entailed a series of webinars featuring presentations from Nordic experts, focusing on selected themes. The chapter runs through each of the themes, presenting lessons learned from each webinar.

Chapter 5 describes the content and the outcomes of the EU & Textile Coffee Breaks. The EU & Textile Coffee Breaks served as an add-on to Active Textile Society and Sharing Nordic Circular Competences. During short sessions, participants were introduced to the EU framework they would be working under in the coming years. The chapter summarizes the topics raised during the sessions.

Chapter 6 concludes the project and presents recommendations for actions developed by participants in The Nordic Textile Collaboration. The ideas are grouped into three overall recommendations: 1) Support the growth of circular business models; 2) Engage citizens in the circular transition; and 3) Make design for circularity the standard. The chapter presents each recommendation in turn.

The textile sector is the third highest source of pressure on water and land use within the EU, has the fifth highest use of raw materials and is responsible for the fifth highest emission of greenhouse gases.

According to the European Environmental Agency. For more information, see https://www.eea.europa.eu/en/topics/in-depth/textiles?activeTab=fa515f0c-9ab0-493c-b4cd-58a32dfaae0a (accessed 10-09-2024).

Global textile production doubled between 2000 and 2015, and there is no indication that this development is to slow down any time soon; in fact, this growth is expected to continue through 2030.

UNEP (2020) Sustainability and Circularity in the Textile Value Chain: Global Stocktaking.

While the consequences of textile production are felt globally, the Nordic countries have a significantly higher rate of textile consumption per capita than the global average, with a global production averaging 14 garments per capita annually, while the average person in the Nordic countries purchases between 26 and 48 garments each year.

The global average is reported in McKinsey Sustainability (2016) Style that’s sustainable: A new fast-fashion formula. The Nordic average is reported in Palm et al. (2014) Towards a Nordic textile strategy: Collection, sorting, reuse and recycling of textiles.

Since the start of The Nordic Textile Collaboration, the Nordic countries have furthermore seen a rise in ultra-fast fashion retailers, expected to increase the consumption of consumer goods, including textiles.

The rise of ultra-fast fashion retailers has attracted attention among different Nordic observers. See, for instance, Finans (15/08/2024) Temu slår Matas og indtager nu en andenplads over danskernes favorit webshop’https://finans.dk/erhverv/ECE17353550/temu-slaar-matas-og-indtager-nu-en-andenplads-over-danskernes-favorit-webshop/ (accessed 10-09-2024),TEK (19/03/2024) ’Dette bør du vite før du handler på temu https://www.tek.no/nyheter/nyhet/i/3EloEX/dette-boer-du-vite-foer-du-handler-paa-temu (accessed 10-09-2024), Svensk Handel (08/07/2024) Regeringen måste markera mot Temu och Shein’ https://www.svenskhandel.se/nyheter/pressmeddelande/regeringen-maste-markera-mot-temu-och-shein (accessed 10-09-2024).

Thus, addressing the environmental impacts of the fashion and textile industry is no less important today than when this project was launched. 

While the environmental and climate impacts of the fashion and textile industry were known back in 2022 when the work on this project commenced, the sector had only been subject to national legislation in the Nordic countries to a limited extent.

See Mapping report, Chapter 3.

Since 2022, several legislative steps have been taken in the EU to support the transition towards a sustainable and circular textile economy. With the EU Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles published in March 2022, the Commission presented a vision for textiles that aimed to make fast fashion go out of fashion and instead supported the uptake of durable, repairable and recyclable textiles, as well as circular business models such as repairs and reuse.

European Commission (2022) Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles https://environment.ec.europa.eu/document/download/74126c90-5cbf-46d0-ab6b-60878644b395_en?filename=COM_2022_141_1_EN_ACT_part1_v8.pdf (accessed 10-09-2024).

Since the presentation of the EU Textile Strategy two and a half years ago, the Council of the European Union has adopted the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR), aiming to improve the circularity and sustainability of products placed on the EU market.

Read more about the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation here: https://commission.europa.eu/energy-climate-change-environment/standards-tools-and-labels/products-labelling-rules-and-requirements/ecodesign-sustainable-products-regulation_en (accessed 10-09-2024).

The ESPR includes the introduction of a ban on the destruction of unsold textiles, as well as a Digital Product Passport (DPP) storing relevant information on products’ environmental impact. The current EU Waste Framework directive states that member states should establish separate collection of textile waste by 2025.

Read more about the EU Waste Framework Directive here: https://environment.ec.europa.eu/topics/waste-and-recycling/waste-framework-directive_en (accessed 10-09-2024).

The ongoing revision of the Waste Framework Directive includes the introduction of Extended Producer Responsibility, making stakeholders placing textile products on the EU market economically responsible for separate collection, sorting and recycling of textiles (see Chapter 5 for further description of upcoming regulation from the EU). With new regulations underway, it remains crucial and beneficial for Nordic countries to continue collaborating and sharing knowledge and competences. For this purpose, The Nordic Textile Collaboration took the first step in establishing a forum for collaboration and exchange across the Nordics. Hopefully, the project will inspire Nordic stakeholders to continue the journey, making use of results and lessons established in this project.