What do we see?
In 2022, 17.1 kilotonnes of textiles were collected, which represents an increase compared to previous years. The amount of textiles that were resold has been around 4 kilotonnes for a number of years and has increased slightly in recent years to 4.4 kilotonnes in 2022. This is partly due to better quality and an increased focus on boutiques and varied forms of sales. Specifically, only 26% of collected textiles were resold in 2022.
What’s the aim?
In a circular economy, reuse is a key strategy: it extends the life of products in which they remain functional for as long as possible. More reuse means avoiding products becoming waste prematurely. Moreover, reused products are ideal replacements for new products that would otherwise be bought.
The Local Materials Plan 2023-2030 states as an objective that Flanders will monitor the reuse of a number of specific product groups (including textiles) throughout the plan period.
