Regional partnerships and sustainable value creation: closing the loop on used textiles in the Münsterland region
How can used textiles be better reused or recycled? Around 30 experts from the textile industry recently addressed this question as part of the joint project “Münsterland Circular Economy Region”, based at Münsterland e.V. Participants from industry, academia, local authorities and charitable organisations gathered at the Association of the North-West German Textile and Clothing Industry e.V. in Münster for an initial workshop to discuss the current situation and preliminary solutions.
“The obligation to collect used textiles separately poses enormous challenges for existing systems across Europe,” explained project manager Sebastian Schürmann. “Due to fast and ultra-fast fashion, which relies on rapid and low-cost production as well as short-term use, volumes are rising whilst material quality is declining. At the same time, logistics costs and the proportion of foreign materials in the containers are increasing. This is putting massive pressure on established collectors. These changing conditions are making it increasingly difficult to resell or recycle wearable clothing – which places a particularly heavy burden on the work of the charitable organisations that have been involved to date.” The expert group agreed that technical solutions for recycling already exist in the region. However, for these to be economically viable, reliable volumes of textiles that are as clean and single-type as possible are absolutely essential.
In the concluding discussion, it became clear that greater regional cooperation along the entire value chain is regarded as a key prerequisite for closing the textile loop in the Münsterland region. The participants identified greater transparency regarding the volumes of textiles generated and a better overview of existing sorting and recycling capacities in the region as key areas for action. Furthermore, providing targeted information to and raising awareness amongst consumers was highlighted as a key element in further strengthening the separate collection and reuse of textiles.
In conclusion, the participants gave a positive assessment of the event. In their view, the launch event had highlighted the importance of cross-sector dialogue and the potential offered by closer networking among regional stakeholders. They expressed their support for continuing the dialogue that had begun and for working together on practical solutions for a sustainable circular economy in the textile sector.
The “Münsterland Circular Economy Region” project is funded as part of the “Regio.NRW” programme with funding from the European Union and the State of North Rhine-Westphalia. The project is led by Münsterland e.V., which is collaborating with Münster University of Applied Sciences, the Münster Chamber of Crafts and the North Westphalia Chamber of Industry and Commerce.
