Collaboration for circular textiles: Three projects, one shared challenge
Together with the projects THREADS and SorTEX, as well as representatives from research and industry, solutions such as sorting, reuse, producer responsibility, and the EU’s new textile strategy were discussed. The meeting laid the groundwork for closer collaboration across projects and the planning of future joint initiatives.
The textile industry needs systemic change
The textile industry is among the world’s most polluting, and the current model is based on overconsumption and low quality. Each year, the average European consumes 26 kilos of textiles – half of which are discarded. Cheaper clothing leads to even higher consumption. Lower quality makes it harder to resell or recycle these garments. A cotton shirt requires 2,700 liters of water to produce, which is problematic since most production occurs in water-scarce countries.
'We can't sort ourselves out of overconsumption, but we can work together to find better downstream solutions that lay the ground for a more circular value chain', says Birgitte McDonagh, from Trondheim Municipality and Norwegian project leader for TRÅD.
The event in Trondheim became a platform for asking big questions:
- How can the lifespan of textiles be extended?
- How should municipalities collect and sort textiles?
How can producers take greater responsibility?
Cross-project collaboration adds weight
The initiative was led by the Interreg Sweden-Norway project TRÅD, which invited sister projects THREADS (Interreg Northern Periphery and Arctic) and SorTEX (Interreg Öresund-Kattegat-Skagerrak) for dialogue. All three projects started in 2024 and explore different parts of the textile value chain – from collection systems to material recycling.
Together with researchers from NTNU and NORSUS, and representatives from Re-Tex (Norway) and NewRetex (Denmark), concrete solutions and collaboration models were discussed. The EU’s strategy for circular textiles and the introduction of producer responsibility were also central topics.
'This meeting was about building bridges between projects. When we stand united, we can influence policy-making and practices to a greater extent,' says McDonagh.
From dialogue to action
The participants agreed: To succeed in creating a more circular value chain, joint efforts across countries and sectors are essential. The outcome of the meeting was not only the sharing of experiences, but also concrete plans for continued collaboration. The next step includes joint participation in autumn conferences and a new TRÅD conference later this year.
The event in Trondheim marked an important starting point for further cooperation - a step towards more sustainable textiles in the Nordic region.