Could you start by introducing yourself and your work at the European Environment Agency, and give us a brief overview of what you'll be covering in your keynote at the Textiles Recycling Expo EU? 

My name is Lars Mortensen. I am an expert on circular economy, consumption and production at the European Environment Agency (EEA). I have worked to prepare reports and briefings on textiles and circularity since 2018. Before joining the EEA back in 2003, I worked at the OECD and at the UN. I am also member of the Club of Rome. My background is as an economist. 

In my keynote, I will start by illustrating the difference between a linear and a circular economy. After that, I will present our latest findings and data on textiles circularity and sustainability in Europe. I will present trends on consumption of clothing, household textiles and shoes and the value chain pressures they cause through greenhouse gas emissions, material use, land use and water use. Furthermore, I will present the status and trends of textiles waste, the capture rate of textiles waste, the use of recycled content and textiles reuse in the EU as well as latest data on exports of used textiles out of the EU. More information on these data is found and updated here: Textiles | Thematic modules | Circularity Metrics Lab (EEA).  I will end by reflecting on the status of textiles policies in the EU.    

The EEA sits at the intersection of data, policy, and environmental monitoring across Europe. What does that vantage point reveal about the textiles sector that perhaps those working within it day-to-day might not fully appreciate? 

The environment and climate impacts of textiles consumption in Europe were largely unknown until around 2018, when reports from the European Environment Agency and the Ellen MacArthur foundation gained a lot of attention, including at policy level in the EU. Only after that, the EU developed a strategy for circular and sustainable textiles, which has led to concrete regulation including in the Ecodesign for Sustainable Productions Regulation (ESPR) with the Product Passport, a revision of the Waste Framework Directive and a Revision of the Waste Shipments Regulation most notably. 

Your keynote focuses on the latest trends in textiles and Europe's circular economy. Without giving too much away, what's the headline finding or shift that you think will most surprise or challenge the audience? 

I think it will surprise and challenge the audience that our consumption of clothing, household textile and shoes is higher than most may think at 19 kg per person per year on average in the EU. This is comparable to what can fit in a large travel suitcase. That leads to 16 kg of textiles waste per person on average, out of which the majority is not separately collected and therefore ends up incinerated or landfilled. Also, it may surprise many that textiles consumption is the area of consumption in the EU that causes on average the fifth highest pressures on the environment and climate from the value chain on average.   

European textile consumption and waste generation data can paint a sobering picture. Where does the sector currently stand, and are there any areas where the trends are genuinely moving in the right direction? 

Most of the data does not change much from year to year, so one could say that the sector stands a point with continuous high consumption and production levels and high waste volumes, including from fast fashion, and high pressures on the environment and climate from the textiles value chain. There are some trends genuinely moving in the right direction. This includes the collection of textiles waste, which is now mandatory in the EU, so the shares collected are on the increase. Also. the share of clothing and shoes waste separately collected and the use of recycled content is on the increase according to our data.  

The EEA has been closely tracking the implementation of the EU's Circular Economy Action Plan and related textile strategies. How would you assess progress so far, and where are the most significant gaps between ambition and reality? 

We have actually not tracked implementation closely. We have monitored and followed it and have tracked the data and trends which are affected by many others factors. I would say that impressive amounts of legislation is currently being put in place to implement the strategy. Only time will tell how successful it will be in changing trends. 

There's a lot of activity at the policy level right now from the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation to EPR schemes taking shape across member states. How do you see these mechanisms interacting, and is Europe building a coherent framework or a patchwork? 

There is indeed lots of activity at policy level, and with stakeholders including industry closely involved. The Ecodesign for Sustainable Product Regulation is indeed an ambitious coherent framework put in place from a product perspective. With the Extended producer Responsibility Schemes being developed at national and for some countries asl the regional levels, there will be some variations in the schemes, but there is also a lot of effort currently ongoing to ensure as much consistency in that as possible.     

What role does better data and monitoring play in accelerating progress and what are the EEA's priorities when it comes to improving how we measure and track textile waste and circularity across Europe? 

Better data and monitoring is crucial to be able to track whether progress is made towards circularity and sustainability on textiles. The ambition of the European Environment Agency is to continue to track trends through our textiles module of the EEA Circular Metrics Lab. The current 14 metrics on circularity of textiles (some are indicators some are signals), are being updated annually and new metrics will be added this year and in the coming years.  

Finally, what draws you to an event like the Textiles Recycling Expo EU, and what value do you see in bringing together this particular mix of industry, innovators, and policymakers in the same room? 

The presence of the industry is very important for me. To be able to monitor progress and provide data and knowledge to policy makers across Europe, it is important that I understand challenges, concerns and opportunities of the industry very well. That goes for both the large companies as well as the SMEs and start ups. Therefore, I and engage and discuss with many industry organisations and companies on a regular basis, as I have been doing for the past years. I look very forward to the Expo.