Leading the Charge on Textile Waste

Spain’s largest fashion companies, including Zara owner Inditex, H&M, Decathlon, Ikea, and Primark, will start collecting discarded clothes in April next year as part of a voluntary pilot scheme called Re-viste. This initiative aims to manage textile waste ahead of EU regulations set to take effect in 2026.

How It Works

Re-viste will separate textiles and shoes from other waste collection, with dozens of containers set up across Spain in churches, stores, shopping centers, and streets. The goal is to reuse or recycle discarded clothing, which currently sees only 12% separated from landfill waste. During the year-long trial, companies will bear the cost of managing textile waste.

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Voices of Action

Andres Fernandez, president of Re-viste and head of sustainability at Mango, stated: “The regulations show us the way, but we have decided not to wait to comply with the legal requirements.”

The pilot program anticipates that Spain will need one textile waste container for every 1,200 residents once EU regulations are enforced. Each resident discards around 20 kilos of clothing annually, significantly higher than the European average of seven kilos.