EPR Textiles What you need to know
End-to-end solution for producers navigating global textile Extended Producer Responsibility. Explore our global service-offering here.
What is textile EPR?
Textile Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) places the responsibility on producers to manage the full lifecycle of textile products, from design through to end-of-life. That means items such as garments, footwear, and household textiles might no longer be just your responsibility when they hit the shelves, but long after they’ve been used.
With Textiles EPR, producers must take accountability for how their products are collected, reused, recycled, or responsibly disposed of. It’s about turning a linear model into a circular one, where waste from a product becomes resource.
Book an Impact AssessmentWhy is it needed?
The fashion and textiles sector is one of the most resource-intensive industries on the planet. As global legislation, such as EPR, continues to establish itself around the world to support, staying ahead of the curve is no longer optional for businesses, it’s essential.
In Europe alone, producers face multiple regulations relating to textiles. This shifting landscape can feel complex, but that’s where we come in. Reconomy makes textile EPR simple, strategic, and sustainable.
Book an Impact AssessmentTextile EPR - What’s coming and when?
Textile Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) is no longer a distant policy ambition, it’s already in motion, with major implications for global brands operating in the EU and beyond.
As part of the EU’s accelerated push toward a circular and accountable textile sector, EPR legislation is advancing fast. Mandatory compliance obligations are being introduced across Member States, impacting producers, importers, retailers, and marketplace operators.
For large organisations managing complex international supply chains, this shift to a more circular operation demands urgent attention. Here’s how the EU Textile EPR timeline is unfolding and what your business needs to prepare for.
- Expected final adoption and publication
- Memer States start making it national law
Textiles EPR law must be in place in every EU country.
Producers report and organise collection of data and pay into EPR systems
How do I get my business Textiles EPR-ready?
If your business sells textiles directly to consumers in the EU, Textile EPR regulations will apply to you. To remain compliant, and avoid penalties, it’s critical to act now.
Follow our 6 step guide to get your organisation fully Textiles EPR-ready:
1) Assess your obligations: Know where and when you’ll be obligated under Textiles EPR legislation
2) Setup data systems: Have systems in place for the collection and management of your data
3) Budget: Understand what your fees will be to allow accurate budgeting
4) Register: Join a scheme to handle your obligations.
5) Report: Track and declare what you sell.
6) Pay EPR fees: You will need to pay Textiles EPR fees based on your reported data.
Reconomy’s Textiles EPR Impact Assessment
Introducing Reconomy’s Textile EPR Impact Assessment – a tailored consultancy service designed for large businesses navigating the complexities of global Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) regulation.
Whether you’re expanding into new markets or future-proofing your current operations, this service provides the insight and structure you need to act with confidence.
Our Textiles EPR Impact Assessment will:
- Monitor global legislation – Stay ahead of evolving EPR rules across Europe and other key international markets
- Map material and market obligations – Identify which textiles and countries will trigger compliance requirements
- Forecast cost exposure – Estimate compliance fees using market intelligence and projected fee structures
- Assess data readiness – Evaluate your internal systems and identify any data reporting gaps
- Deliver an actionable compliance roadmap – Receive a tailored checklist to reduce risk, close gaps, and ensure timely compliance
Why act now?
While deadlines may seem a few years away, textile EPR is already in effect in several countries, and other regions will follow suit ahead of the EU's timeline. It’s critical to begin preparing now, as early action will save time, money, and reduce business risk. Here's why your business needs to act now:
Why partner with Reconomy for Textiles EPR?
With over 25 years of global experience, we’re more than ready to help you navigate Textiles EPR. We provide our partners with:
Proven global reach
Through our brands, we’ve been helping our customer comply with legislation around the world since 1997. Our deep-rooted relationships with regulators, policymakers, and industry bodies mean we’re actively involved in shaping the future of EPR.
Unmatched scale and expertise
Today, we manage 40+ PROs across 15 countries, covering 5 key material streams, giving us unmatched insight into regulatory, operational, and reporting requirements. As textile EPR expands, we’re actively planning to establish in-country textile PROs.
Your textile EPR partner
Our unique global footprint and end-to-end service offering means that we can support you with all aspects of Textiles EPR including data management, take-back and digital product passports. Making us your reliable long-term Textiles EPR partner.
Book a Textile EPR Impact assessment here
FAQs
Explore some of the most frequently asked questions surrouding Textiles EPR policy.
Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) in textiles is a policy that means manufacturers, retailers, and importers from industry sectors like fashion are legally required to manage the entire lifecycle of a product.
This means companies will be reporting on data metrics on their products such as recycling and waste disposal, rather than leaving it to consumers or municipalities systems at the collection stage.
Textile Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) is already in effect in several regions around the world.
Europe
Textiles EPR is already in place in four countries: France, Netherlands, Hungary, and Latvia. Other EU nations are progressing towards compliance under the European Commission’s broader circular economy agenda.
Amercia
Across the Atlantic, momentum is building in the United States. While national legislation for companies isn’t yet in place, several states are taking action to implement this legislation for companies.
New York has proposed a fashion sustainability and social accountability act, while California and Oregon are exploring EPR policies for textiles as part of their wider focus on circular materials management for waste and recycling processes in fashion companies and other industry sectors.
These state-led initiatives mark a growing shift towards producer responsibility and are paving the way for broader adoption across North America.
At Reconomy, we stay ahead of these changes to help companies in the fashion industry sector and more not only remain compliant, but lead the way in sustainable practice to become more circular. We put systems in place to help report on both waste volumes and recycling levels to help meet textiles EPR.
To comply, you’ll need to join a registered PRO in each country you operate, report product volumes placed on the market, pay eco-modulated fees, and participate in take-back schemes to improve product collection. Reconomy helps you manage all of this under one roof, from reporting on waste collection volumes to recycling levels.
Generally: clothing, footwear, accessories, household textiles (like towels and bed linens), and sometimes bags and workwear. Definitions vary by location and waste. All items predominately arriving from the fashion sector.
Eco-modulated fees are charges producers pay based on how environmentally friendly their products are. More sustainable fashion designs typically cost less to register, encouraging better design and recycling solutions from the start to reduce waste.
Watch our latest EPR Textiles webinar
Join Aimée Campanella, Reconomy’s EPR Textiles Development Director, for a deep dive into the fast-moving world of textile Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) across the EU. As the UK begins shaping its own approach to textile EPR, understanding how systems are unfolding across Europe is key. This session explored emerging legislation, key implementation models, and how EU trends could influence the UK’s future system. Whether you’re already involved in sortation and recycling or looking to play a bigger role in circular solutions, this webinar will help you prepare for what’s coming and contribute to the conversation shaping it.
Our global reach
Reconomy supports some of the world’s biggest brands in embedding circular practices across global operations. With our scale, expertise and partnerships, we offer:
Coverage of over 150 countries
Managing over 132m product returns
10% reduction in our customers’ carbon intensity since 2020
Owned operations in more than 80 countries
Coverage of over 150 countries
Managing over 132m product returns
10% reduction in our customers’ carbon intensity since 2020
Owned operations in more than 80 countries
The circular economy specialist
We help businesses solve modern sustainability challenges by embracing the circular economy in fashion.
