Relentless production, overconsumption, waste… the textile sector is being singled out as one of the most polluting industries and a major emitter of GHGs(1). Beyond the current debates surrounding collection and sorting, some are calling for a focus on eco-design. But what exactly does this entail?
A Sector with Multiple, Ever-Increasing Impacts
Every stage in a garment’s life impacts the environment, starting with the extraction or production of raw materials. These include natural fibers—whether plant-based (cotton, linen…) or animal-based (wool, silk…)—as well as artificial fibers (i.e. produced from natural resources using chemicals: viscose, modal…) or synthetic fibers (polyester, polyamide/nylon, acrylic, elastane, mainly derived from petroleum). The processing phase involves several operations that can have a more or less strong environmental footprint on air, water, soil, and biodiversity: spinning, weaving, knitting, dyeing (often toxic)(2), printing, finishing, and garment manufacturing. The distribution stage also has many impacts, from storage to sale, including transport. The usage phase also contributes, notably at washing (a load of polyester garments can release up to 700,000 microplastic fibers, which end up in water, and thus in our food chain or oceans). Finally, the end-of-life of our used garments represents a major environmental issue as the quantities change. In fact, after doubling between 2000 and 2020—from 58 Mt to 109 Mt—global fiber production reached a record of 124 Mt in 2023 and is projected to hit 160 Mt in 2030. Meanwhile, more than half of garments today are thrown away after one year (cf. fast fashion and ultra-fast fashion).
Within the EU, 1% of used garments are recycled into new garments, others are repurposed into different products (insulation, automotive, etc.), but the vast majority (87%) is incinerated or sent to landfill, with the remainder exported. Although it is important not to overgeneralize, images of mountains of clothes on West African beaches or in Chile’s Atacama Desert—causing health and environmental disasters—are well known.
What Regulations Exist for Eco-design in Textiles?
In March 2022, the European Commission adopted a strategy aimed at “making textiles more sustainable, repairable, reusable, and recyclable, fighting fast fashion, and stimulating innovation in the sector.” Requirements were defined regarding eco-design for textiles and for consumer information (a digital product passport), and a call was made for companies to take greater responsibility in reducing the carbon and environmental footprint of their products. A year later, Members of the European Parliament presented additional proposals to ensure that textiles are “produced in respect of human, social, and labor rights, the environment, and animal welfare.” In the same year, 2023, a proposal for a Green Claims Directive was put forward to protect consumers and companies against greenwashing, although the text is currently heavily contested and may be withdrawn. More recently, the European regulation of July 2024 on eco-design for durable products (REPD or ESPR in English) has highlighted textiles as one of the priority sectors.
In France, the AGEC law of February 2020 requires the development of a prevention and eco-design plan (cf. reducing the use of non-renewable resources, increasing the use of recycled materials, enhancing product recyclability). This AGEC law and the Climate and Resilience law of August 2021 establish a system for displaying the environmental impacts of products in a reliable and understandable way. Furthermore, the PFAS law of February 2025 prohibits, from January 1, 2026, the manufacture, import, export, and marketing of clothing and shoes containing PFAS (except for protective clothing and shoes) and stipulates that, from 2030, all textiles containing PFAS will be banned in France (except for technical textiles for industrial use). It should also be noted that a standard dedicated to the evaluation of the physical durability of items was published in February (standard NF G30-113). It was developed within the framework of the Durhabi project supported by the French Textile and Clothing Institute (IFTH), Ademe (French ecological transition agency), and the eco-organization Refashion.
Main Levers for Eco-design
A textile professional has several levers to adopt an eco-design approach. They can choose raw materials based on their environmental footprint and opt for processes that minimize material loss and reduce consumption (energy, water…). In the Transformation phase, processes can be selected to reduce the use of chemicals and/or further decrease water and energy consumption. Additionally, they can choose to produce on demand, prioritize real-time demand to reduce waste production, optimize the production chain, work towards extending the useful life of products, reduce impacts related to distribution, or pursue certification processes.
In a specific guide published in March 2025(3), Ademe notably recommends avoiding the mixing of materials as much as possible, eliminating (or at least reducing) dyeing, limiting washing-out treatments, and offering repair services or guarantees longer than two years. This new guide also served as the basis for the Texhabi call for projects, which aims to support companies in the eco-design of their finished or semi-finished products and to prepare them for the implementation of textile environmental labeling. More than one hundred projects have already been submitted under this scheme, for a total cost of 3 million euros.
Other Possible Approaches
More broadly, professionals in the textile sector can also choose to adopt new strategies such as developing new business models for clothing rental, designing products to facilitate reuse and recycling, promoting actions among consumers to purchase fewer but higher-quality garments, or steering their behavior toward more sustainable options.
Current Limitations to Eco-design
According to the SGPE, of the 887,000 tonnes of new finished textile garments in France, 580,000 tonnes are imported and only 37,000 tonnes (less than 5%) are manufactured in France(4). European or national eco-design requirements only concern a small number of actors (the country has 2,200 active textile companies, 85% of which are SMEs) who sometimes view these requirements as constraints akin to distorting competition. Indeed, while encouraging market players to eco-design their products is among the main ambitions of the TLC sector in France(5), there remains a long way to go.
The Textile Sector in the Spotlight at Pollutec 2025
A themed day will be dedicated to the textile sector on Tuesday, October 7, at Pollutec. Led by Victoire Satto, co-founder of The Good Goods, the day will offer an immersive experience aimed at changing our perspective and accelerating progress, illustrating that solutions for textile circularity already exist. The day will feature a general keynote, several conferences, and a session of startup pitches.
In parallel, several exhibitors at the show will present their innovative solutions. This includes, notably, Canoe (biosourced and biodegradable surgical IIR masks), Keenat (a solution for the collection and recycling of single-use personal protective equipment and medical textiles), and Mapea (repurposing textiles in plastics).
Other exhibitors will showcase their offerings in various textile domains: sorting and recycling (Pellenc ST, Recyc’Elit, Plas’Tri, Whitecycle…), upcycling into wipe products (Les Etablissements Compas), technical textiles (Ciffa Systèmes), steel and textile infrastructures (Agrotel GmbH, Richel Group – Toutabri, Locabri, Skavska), etc.
- According to estimates, textile production is responsible for nearly 20% of global drinking water pollution and accounts for between 8% and 10% of global GHG emissions.
- It is strongly recommended to wash a new garment before its first wear.
- “Sectorial Eco-design Guide: Apparel Textiles – Leveraging Action, from the First Steps in Eco-design to Specific Avenues for Further Improvement” for professionals. Available at https://librairie.ademe.fr/
- “Better Production and Better Consumption – Issues Associated with Textile Production and Consumption in France”, Secretariat General for Ecological Planning, April 2025.
- Cf. https://filieres-rep.ademe.fr/filieres-REP/filiere-TLC#enjeux