“How much is too much?” asks Lars Fogh Mortensen, a circular economy expert at the European Environment Agency (EEA), in a video shared on social media. As clothes are dramatically tossed at him, the message is clear: textile consumption in the European Union has reached record levels.
According to the EEA, the average EU citizen purchased 19kg of textiles in 2022—up from 17kg in 2019. While the EU introduced its sustainable and circular textiles strategy in 2022, climate advocates warn that the shift away from fast fashion remains sluggish. Many fashion brands are still wrestling with the challenge of sustaining growth while cutting carbon emissions to meet the EU’s 2030 climate goals.
As part of its broader Green Deal, the EU launched the Circular Economy Action Plan in 2020. This policy aims to reduce environmental strain and promote sustainable growth and jobs. It encourages a move away from linear business models—where products are used and discarded—towards circular systems in which materials are reused, reducing waste and environmental harm.
In February, a provisional agreement was reached that will require textile producers—both EU-based and international ecommerce sellers—to finance the collection, sorting, and recycling of their products through extended producer responsibility (EPR) schemes.
Mortensen underscores the complexity of this challenge: “Fast fashion is a whole system of production and consumption involving millions of workers, and now we’re trying to change it. That’s no easy feat.”
There are early signs of change. Brands are starting to test circular business models that include sharing platforms, leasing, and take-back schemes. However, Mortensen notes progress is slow, particularly because synthetic fibers remain significantly cheaper than recycled materials.
Maria Srivastava, Chief Impact Officer at B Corp-certified brand Pangaia, agrees that full sustainability in fashion doesn’t yet exist. She emphasizes the importance of traceability and transparency in supply chains, noting that new EU legislation like the digital product passport will help shed light on the notoriously opaque fashion industry.
Consumers, Srivastava says, are increasingly demanding transparency from major fashion labels. Pangaia aims to eliminate virgin cotton from its production lines entirely and transition to recycled cotton by 2026. Known for its loungewear made from organic and bio-based materials, the brand grew rapidly during the pandemic and plans to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2040. Still, Srivastava admits it is the larger players who have the scale to accelerate adoption of sustainable materials.
One such player is Decathlon, one of the world’s largest sports retailers. The French brand is deepening its commitment to repair and recycling. It recently joined The Fashion ReModel, a circular-fashion initiative launched in 2024 alongside brands such as H&M, eBay, and Tapestry (the parent company of Coach, Kate Spade, and Stuart Weitzman). The project aims to prove that circular models—including rental, resale, and repair—can also be profitable.
“Sustainability is just as important as quality and price to our customers,” says John Thomas, Decathlon’s Global Sustainability Director. Of its more than 1,800 stores worldwide, over 1,700 now offer repair services. The brand is also shifting to “preferred” materials to increase product longevity and reduce waste.
Circular sales currently make up 3.2% of Decathlon’s global revenue, mainly driven by bike recycling. The challenge moving forward, Thomas explains, is embedding repairability into product design and ensuring sustainable growth. He also called on EU policymakers to stay committed to enforcing strict and fair regulations, especially in light of recent delays in implementing sustainability due diligence rules. Thomas wants a level playing field across all platforms, noting that some ecommerce giants such as Shein, Temu, and Amazon exploit loopholes in the EU market.
Activist and greenwashing watchdog Tanja Gotthardsen warns that meaningful reform is still distant. She says too many brands continue to overproduce, often masking their environmental impact with misleading climate-friendly marketing. The EEA supports her concerns, reporting that up to 9% of all textiles sold in Europe are destroyed without ever being used, generating as much as 5.6 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions.
Gotthardsen emphasizes that real progress requires repair systems that allow customers to return or alter their clothes. She highlights Mud Jeans—a Dutch sustainable denim brand—as an example of how circular systems can work. The company introduced a “lease your jeans” program where customers can rent and repair jeans over a year, then decide to return, recycle, or keep them. Mud Jeans aims for a closed-loop system using 100% post-consumer waste, with its products currently containing up to 40% recycled denim.
Founder Bert van Son explains that the company produces only what is needed, working with a small supplier base to prevent overproduction. “We don’t want to sell more jeans,” van Son says, “but better-quality jeans.” Scaling up while maintaining sustainability remains a challenge, but the focus is on quality over quantity.
Rasmus Nordqvist, a Green MEP with a background in fashion, calls for a systemic shift that involves industry players, consumers, and stronger legislation. He warns that without deeper reforms, fast fashion will continue to dominate. Though some big brands have adopted small-scale circular strategies, such as second-hand programs, Nordqvist says the low prices and poor quality of many items still encourage overconsumption.
“We need to enshrine transparency into textile legislation,” Nordqvist insists. He hopes the industry will evolve so that sustainable practices aren’t limited to a few small, conscientious brands. “It shouldn’t be the small players doing good who have to compete against the giants that don’t care.”
As the EU tightens regulations and pushes for more sustainable practices, the fashion industry faces a pivotal moment. Whether brands can balance innovation, affordability, and accountability will determine if the shift toward a greener future becomes a reality—or remains another marketing slogan.
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