PROJECT DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND
The linear production and consumption model of the EU clothing sector leads to high environmental impacts, for example, in terms of carbon emissions and water resources. A report for the EU27 in 2009 revealed that 9.387 billion tonnes of textiles waste is either landfilled or incinerated. In the UK, textiles disposal is the highest by tonnage across the current EU28 countries, and it represents the fifth-biggest environmental footprint of any UK industry. The UK Defra Waste Strategy (2007) showed the importance of carbon savings from textile reuse and recycling compared to incineration. The global carbon footprint of UK clothing consumption alone is 38 million tonnes, or 1.5 tonnes of CO2 equivalent per household. Extrapolated across the EU, this is around 317 million tonnes of CO2 eq.
OBJECTIVES
The overall objective of the LIFE ECAP project was to adopt a circular approach to divert over 90 000 tonnes/year of clothing waste from landfill and incineration across Europe by March 2018, and to deliver a more resource efficient clothing sector.
The project aimed to achieve its objectives by developing a sectoral approach, based on the principles of the proven UK Sustainable Clothing Action Plan (SCAP), to provide an EU-wide framework that would encourage circular business thinking and economic growth. This was designed to reduce the environmental impacts associated with clothing production and consumption. The ECAP actions demonstrated the business case for reducing clothing waste by systematically addressing the key challenges in production, consumption and disposal by measurably:
- Reducing the waste, water and carbon footprints of EU clothing;
- Preventing waste in the clothing supply chain, and the use of domestic and work clothing by business, consumers and governments;
- Ensuring that less low-grade clothing and textiles go to incineration and landfill; and
- Encouraging innovation in resource-efficient design and service models to stimulate business growth in the clothing sector and its supply chain.
RESULTS
ECAP did achieve the overarching objective and the circular approach was successfully adopted by stakeholders across the spectrum of consumers and general public, designers, retail businesses including international brands, manufacturing, re-use and recycling organisations, municipalities and local and national government, and the EC. There were quantifiable environmental benefits in the areas of waste diversion, water and carbon savings as a result of stakeholders’ participation, particularly for what concerns the retail sector. These quantifiable benefits, although below the original targets, show that the supporting objectives of reducing waste and resource use, and encouraging innovation in resource-efficient design and service models were also achieved.
The project set some very ambitious quantitative targets for the project end in 2020 as measured against a baseline year of 2012. Numerical targets outlined in the principal objective (90 kt) and the post-project scaling up targets of 540 kt by 2020 that they could not be achieved, mainly due to the loss of a significant project partner, and despite several strategy changes throughout the project in an effort to fulfil the targets.
On a whole-project basis, ECAP successfully diverted 4,670 tonnes of clothing sector waste from landfill and saved 834,000 tonnes CO2e and 50.1 million m3 of water. Additionally, several benefits, currently unquantified, are expected to become tangible in the medium to long term.:
- Capacity building in design and manufacture to enable clothes to be produced with less waste and resource use;
- Greater awareness of sustainability issues across the supply chain, which will influence material selection as well as supplier behaviour, responsibility and transparency;
- Capacity building in collection and recycling regarding identification of key issues and barriers as well as considerations, solutions and opportunities; and
- Enhanced guidance for green public procurement to incorporate circular workwear principles, which have already been taken up by the EC and further pilots are being undertaken.
It was always the project's intention to demonstrate the correct enabling conditions to facilitate such savings as a result of the circular approach being adopted. In this regard, the project was a success as there were some extremely important achievements directly attributed to the project with decision makers and stakeholders, particularly suppliers, designers and consumers, and an enhanced focus on sustainability within the fashion and textile industry could be observed. The intention was to create the correct enabling political and behavioural conditions to facilitate these post-project targets. Although full evidence may not be available by the project's conclusion, real project benefits remain likely to continue to emerge.
