Water Europe position paper for a Water Smart Textile Industry

During the summer, Water Europe has been active replying to the EC public consultation on the Sustainable textile strategy with the objective to raise the importance of water and its innovative solutions, such as the one developed by ZERO BRINE in Turkey. This strategy will help the EU shift to a climate-neutral circular economy where products are designed to be more durable, reusable, repairable, recyclable and energy-efficient. Water smart management can contribute to a more competitive, sustainable and resilient textile industry, as set up in the Roadmap for EU strategy for textiles.

The five key recommendations made by Water Europe are based on the inputs from its members and the outcomes of Water Innovation Europe 2021:

• Increasing water efficiency, circular management and reuse
• Leveraging synergies with the industrial emissions directive
• Tackling the presence of hazardous substances & microplastics
• Boosting research and innovation of new technologies to address water-related challenges
• Encouraging the deployment of digital tools to accelerate the transformation

Read the position paper here.

The publication of the EU strategy for sustainable textiles is expected in the third quarter of 2021.