The EU's Solstice Project which is looking at how local textile systems operate across four European regions has revealed both regional disparities and promising solutions to strengthen textile repair, reuse, and recycling infrastructure.
The Solstice Project, which has reached its halfway stage aims to accelerate the transition from linear models to circular regional ecosystems in the textile industry, focusing on four key territories: Grenoble-Alpes Métropole (France), Berlin (Germany), Prato (Italy), and Catalonia (Spain).
The analysis has shown significant geographic imbalances: circular services such as repair, reuse, and recycling remain largely concentrated in urban centres, leaving suburban and rural areas underserved.
It also suggests a uniform approach to circularity is ineffective with each region working within a distinct economic and infrastructural context.
For example, Berlin and Grenoble are primarily consumption hubs focused on creative repair, while Prato is defined by its industrial recycling capacity. Catalonia collects high volumes of textile waste but still relies heavily on landfills due to a lack of reuse infrastructure.
The project believes these insights highlight the need for region-specific strategies to effectively scale circular textile solutions across Europe.
The Solstice project has launched targeted pilots to actively involve citizens in the circular economy to demonstrate how behavioural change, supported by digital tools and local services, can significantly increase participation in circular textile practices.
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