“It is exciting if Sweden can develop into a node for textile sustainability in Europe”
Birgitta Losman - you have investigated the producer responsibility for textiles on behalf of the government. What are the major challenges for managing producer responsibility by 2025?
“Time is running out if Sweden wants decisions on sorting textile waste and producer responsibility in place by 2025. The original timetable was tight and since then decisions from the Swedish government have been delayed. Producers need a reasonable amount of time to organise their work in such a way that the objectives of producer responsibility can be achieved. It is also important that there is really clear target guidance in the future producer responsibility and that producers, non-profit actors and municipalities can cooperate in a good way in the future.
How should producer responsibility be implemented in a good way?
“My assessment is that a producer responsibility for textiles needs to have tough targets for the collection of textiles and clear requirements that collected textiles must be prepared for reuse first and recycling in the second place. In the field of material recycling, it is important that the waste hierarchy is strictly applied so that, for example, remake takes place primarily over fiber-fiber recycling so that the highest possible environmental benefit is achieved. With the EU Textile Strategy, the discussion on a common compulsory producer responsibility for textiles is under way in the EU system. Here it is important that Sweden participates and influences so that the common rules and definitions are as good as possible. It concerns, for example, which definition of textile should apply.
How can Siptex (Sysav's new facility in Malmö for sorting textiles for fibre recycling) contribute to achieving producer responsibility?
“All actors in the textile value chains, in which Siptex is an important player, can jointly press the Swedish government to decide on sorting requirements so that textiles end up in the garbage bag, and on the other hand proceed with a Swedish producer responsibility. At the same time, Sweden obviously needs to work together with the whole EU to harmonise, for example, definitions of textiles and other key issues in producer responsibility.
For the climate, it is even better to recycle the clothes directly than to recycle the fibers. How to increase the recycling of clothes? How can we work to make this happen?
“A well-designed producer responsibility system guides in the direction of recycling in the first place and recycling of materials in the second place. In addition to producer responsibility, a number of other measures are required. This can be about making it more economically beneficial to do the right thing for consumers, for example through Textil root or lowering taxes on labour because repair and upgrading often involves using manual labour which is relatively expensive. It is important to increase the profitability of circular business models and strengthened demand for sustainable products and services is one way to contribute to that. Changing consumption cultures are also needed, we need to change our behaviours completely.
“In addition, there are other important policy decisions in addition to producer responsibility that can steer in the direction of recycling, such as setting requirements for design, quality, repairability, material selection, traceability and having strict restrictions on shipping textile waste from Europe to countries outside the EU. We need to be more fearful about the virgin fibres made and use textiles longer. When textiles are used several times, they should be recycled instead of being burned as is often the case today. The sorting requirement, which has long been decided in the EU, is important.
Can you imagine a mortgage system for textiles? How can this be linked to consumer behavior?
“In the study I did in 2020, we did not have a mandate to look at pledge systems, but it could potentially be a way to encourage consumers to leave textiles for reuse and recycling instead of putting them in the garbage bag.
What do you find most interesting about Siptex and with the different results associated with it?
“Siptex will be an important link in making the textile system sustainable. Together with other actors, such as those involved in pre-sorting where textiles can go directly to upgrading and reuse, Siptex can contribute to a more circular textile management. In addition, ventures such as Siptex are about creating new jobs and developing a new textile industry in Sweden. It is exciting if Sweden can develop into an important node for textile sustainability in Europe. This requires industrial infrastructure and Siptex is an important part of it.
This is producer responsibility
In 2019, the government decided to appoint a special investigator with the task of proposing a producer responsibility for textiles, which ensures separate collection of textiles for reuse and textile waste for recycling. The introduction of a new producer responsibility and the obligation to sort textile waste from other waste concerns all Swedish households and all businesses that produce textile waste. Producer responsibility means, among other things, that a producer who puts textiles on the Swedish market would be obliged to ensure that someone authorised to operate a collection system is committed to taking care of the producer's textile when it becomes waste.
Read more
Producer responsibility textile, Government public investigations
About Siptex: Here our old clothes become the raw material for the industry