The fashion trade, originating from the Industrial Revolution, has transformed into a massive trillion-dollar sector with harmful environmental impacts and labour rights concerns.
Brussels aims to address these issues by implementing a back-to-basics strategy that focuses on reskilling the textile workers within the bloc.
The European Commission’s strategy aims to make all textiles in the EU market durable, repairable, and recyclable, ultimately discouraging fast fashion. This shift could empower European artisans and textile workers.
The Commission emphasises the importance of designing fabrics and garments with longevity in mind, highlighting the value of artisanal skills, which is a key focus of the European Year of Skills.
Overcoming the legacy of industrial and economic churn is a challenge, as a significant portion of textile production has been outsourced to countries with lower labour and environmental standards.
The Commission takes steps to promote eco-friendly fashion, including training and upskilling textile workers, as well as providing support to secondhand markets through tax breaks and incentives for repairers and artisans.
Brussels’ intentions received praise from designers, campaigners, and researchers, but they cautioned that the approach still has several issues that needed to be addressed.
During 2019, the European Union exported textiles worth € 61 billion and imported textiles worth € 109 billion, with a notable share originating from China, Bangladesh, and Turkey.
However, the European Environment Agency states that the environmental impact of clothing consumption in Europe mainly occurs in other regions of the world where production takes place.
