SPONSORED EPISODE: What is polyester worth?

As ultra-fast fashion has gotten cheaper, textiles have become disposable to many Europeans. The average EU consumer purchased 95 articles of textiles last year — an increase of 12 percent since 2019. Europe now discards about 9 million tons of polyester textiles annually. That’s the weight of roughly 900 Eiffel Towers. Those unwanted clothes could be put to better use. Technology has advanced to the point where textile-to-textile recycling is in reach, but it requires coordination across the EU. With Extended Producer Responsibility rules coming into effect and the Circular Economy Act on the horizon, Europe has a unique chance to turn its textile waste problem into a strategic advantage. In this special podcast episode produced by POLITICO Studio, experts on policy, textile recycling and fashion manufacturing explore whether the EU can rise to the challenge. Guest speakers include: Patrik Frisk, CEO of Reju, a textile-to-textile regeneration company focused on polyester; Ekaterina Stoyanova, senior policy advisor at Recycling Europe, the Brussels-based recycling industry association; and Cveta Majtanovic, sustainability director at Rematrix, one of Italy's Producer Responsibility Organizations. POLITICAL ADVERTISEMENT The sponsor is Reju The advertisement is linked to building an EPR system in Europe and putting in place incentives to reward textile-to-textile design. More information here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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