Fast fashion and climate change – How is Europe tackling textile waste?

Fast fashion is responsible for 8-10% of global carbon emissions, more than aviation and shipping combined, and its environmental toll continues to rise. The industry thrives on overproduction and overconsumption, flooding the market with cheap, disposable clothing that drives a growing textile waste crisis. Across Europe, millions of tonnes of textiles are incinerated, dumped in landfills, or exported to countries where waste management systems are overstretched, causing severe environmental and social repercussions.

This episode explores the hidden costs of fast fashion and Europe’s response to this crisis with EU-wide regulations aimed at promoting circularity, reducing waste, and addressing microplastics.

Experts Theresa Mörsen from Zero Waste Europe, and Lars Fogh Mortensen from the European Environment Agency provide insights into the systemic changes needed to tackle the impact of fast fashion, along with the role of governments, businesses, and consumers in creating a more sustainable future. Can Europe’s ambitious strategies reverse the tide of fast fashion and pave the way towards a circular textile economy?

Join Evi Kiorri every last Wed of the month to dissect these and other themes at the heart of European debates.

Production: By Europod, in co-production with Sphera Network.

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