The focus is on the concept of sufficiency, which aims to change consumption patterns and social norms. Zero Waste Europe sees three main starting points: influencing purchasing behaviour and limiting advertising, extending lifespan through repair and reuse initiatives, and raising awareness of behavioural change. In addition, the municipalities could advocate for comprehensive political changes at national, European and international level. "By implementing policies that encourage more sufficient behaviour, cities can play a crucial role in accelerating our societal transition to more sustainable and equitable fashion consumption patterns, ultimately contributing to waste reduction, a just transition and better environmental protection," said Zero Waste Europe.
Sufficiency in textiles
There is already enough clothing in the world to dress the next six generations. Nevertheless, the textile sector continues to grow steadily. Clothing prices in the EU fell by 30 percent between 1996 and 2018. This has been made possible by the use of cheap synthetic fibres from fossil resources and the relocation of production to countries with poor labour and environmental standards. The currently dominant business model is based on convincing consumers to constantly follow and buy new fashion trends.
At the local level, the high consumption poses a challenge for waste disposal in particular. In 2020, around 6.95 million tonnes of textile waste were generated in the EU. This corresponds to 16 kilograms per person. Of this, only 4.4 kilograms were collected separately and sent for reuse or recycling. The majority ends up in residual waste. From 2025, the obligation to collect separately will apply throughout Europe. This is a major challenge, as in many cases the capacities for collection, sorting, reuse and recycling are not sufficient. But even with the expected additional capacities, it can be assumed that reuse and recycling will only increase slightly by 2035. Due to the saturation of the European reuse markets, export is the only economic option for many collectors.
A mere increase in collection and sorting capacities is therefore a futile undertaking as long as consumption volumes continue to rise. From Zero Waste Europe's point of view, local measures and support for initiatives that promote a culture of sharing, repairing, reusing and upcycling are more helpful. In addition, a reduction in clothing consumption could reduce the burden of chemical pollution on human health.
What can municipalities do?
According to Zero Waste Europe, there is already a whole range of local sufficiency measures in place. These ranged from specialized urban planning to bring services closer to where people live, to circular building practices to avoid energy waste. The main obstacles to local sufficiency measures are a lack of financial and human resources, limited support and limited understanding among municipal employees.
Three measures are considered particularly effective for local consumption patterns. These include improving the collection infrastructure for used textiles, facilitating the local repair, replacement and reuse of used textiles by strengthening local initiatives, as well as reducing the demand for new clothing by setting targets and developing actions that affect the industry's purchasing behaviour and marketing practices. More advanced measures include the redevelopment of commercial areas in cities and the introduction of a spatial separation between retail and leisure.
Influencing buying behavior
In addition to raising awareness, the promotion of sufficient textile consumption could include more restrictive measures, such as so-called selection processing. In the process, unsustainable options are filtered out of the range of products available on the market. This sounds like a very radical measure and is not necessarily feasible for municipalities. However, it is quite common, for example with regard to public health (tobacco, medicines) or for environmental reasons (abolition of vehicles and heating systems based on fossil fuels).
A first step towards influencing consumer behaviour is to restrict advertising. Corresponding restrictions are accepted for tobacco and alcoholic beverages in many countries. One focus could be on regulating seasonal sales times.
Repair and reuse as standard
By reselling, reusing and repairing, the demand for new clothes can be significantly reduced. However, it must also be taken into account that reuse only leads to waste avoidance if it replaces the purchase of new garments. Setting concrete targets for reuse could set a benchmark for policy measures.
Zero Waste Europe emphasizes that traditional skills for repair are no longer particularly widespread today. The inclusion of these skills in school curricula and the provision of training opportunities for professionals could restore this important knowledge. Public procurement measures and guidelines could also promote the demand for used textiles. For example, it could be stipulated that workwear in the public sector must be second-hand. Another approach is to support product-as-a-service business models such as clothing libraries. Finally, supporting non-market-based barter consumption models, such as citizen-run repair cafés, clothing swaps or reuse events, could promote a lifestyle that is more sufficiency and less consumer-oriented. Cities can play a key role here by providing the necessary space for such events and businesses, or by subsidizing at least part of the necessary costs.
Create awareness
An essential aspect is to inform consumers well and enable them to make informed decisions about their consumption. Instead of just pointing out the negative effects, a positive vision of a sustainable fashion system can help to gain support.
The challenges posed by fast fashion and textile waste are complex and far-reaching, requiring action at all levels of policy. Municipalities are in a unique position to bring about change and influence consumer behavior. Through these measures, municipalities could play a crucial role in accelerating the transition to more sustainable and equitable fashion consumption. It is true that one must be aware of the limits of local measures. Nevertheless, the municipalities could be a strong force for change. To this end, it is necessary to develop robust monitoring systems to review the measures. In addition, cooperation between the various local actors must be promoted. "However, by taking decisive action at the local level, cities can lead the way in reducing textile waste, promoting circular economy principles and promoting a culture of responsible consumption in line with the ecological limits of our planet," Zero Waste Europe concludes.
