Preface

The Nordic countries are renowned for their product design, focus on quality and innovation when it comes to green and sustainable solutions. Moreover, we have a longstanding tradition of strong collaboration across the Nordic countries where we learn from - and support each other.

All this comes together in The Nordic Textile Collaboration bridging actors and citizens who, in one way or other, take part in our complex textile industry, and sparked important conversations on our consumption, production and waste management patterns. We know that the textile industry bears weight in our climate- and environmental footprint. Creating a forum that recognizes and addresses the challenges of transitioning to a more circular textile industry has been an important feat of this collaboration, giving a platform to a multiplicity of stakeholders who hold crucial knowledge and together, in dialogue and collaboration, can help build the textile industry of the future.

As project coordinator, the Danish Environmental Protection Agency has had the pleasure of establishing and hosting this forum for Nordic knowledge-sharing, collaboration and networking. It has been a very exciting journey with lots of steps and considerations: From mapping circular efforts in the textile industry in the Nordic countries, defining how to collaborate and, very importantly, carrying out selected initiatives involving many different actors and topics. Most of the activities have been conducted online – a format enabling widespread collaboration with citizens, companies and organizations across the Nordic countries, but a format that also has its challenges. Thanks to the openness of participants and the support of great colleagues, we succeeded together.

As you read this report, you are invited to take as many insights with you as possible, to share them, to challenge them, to reach out to those involved and to use them as building blocks for new holistic, transdisciplinary and transnational approaches to reshaping our relationship with textiles.

A big thank you to all those who have made time to participate, those who have facilitated the activities, and those who are reading this report for future knowledge creation and collaboration.

Anne Elizabeth Kamstrup
Deputy Director General
Centre for Circular Economy
Danish Environmental Protection Agency