Ireland has published its first National Policy Statement and Roadmap on Circular Textiles (2026–2028), as the country seeks to reduce textile waste and promote a circular economy.
According to the roadmap, by April 2028, producers and retailers will be required to fund the cost of collecting and managing used clothing and other textiles, shifting responsibility away from public services and consumers, while by 2030, a broader range of options for discarding and donating used textiles responsibly will be available.
Circular economy
“Far too much of our used textiles currently end up being disposed of as waste in our bins,” commented Minister of State at the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment with special responsibility for the Circular Economy, Alan Dillon, who added that the roadmap seeks to move Ireland “closer to a circular economy for textiles.
“The Policy Statement has a range of measures that will promote circular design, so that textiles last longer and are easier to reuse and repair. The actions in the Policy Statement make the fashion and textile industry responsible for its textile waste”.
Public awareness campaign
As well as providing an outlet for used textiles, a new public awareness campaign is also being launched to guide consumers on ensuring their old clothes are suitable for reuse, as well as promoting the use of charity shops, clothing banks and civic amenity sites as collection channels.
“Citizens will be able to go to Mywaste.ie and find their nearest donation point with advice on how to prepare their clothing, footwear and household textiles,” Dillon added.
Ireland generates more than 110,000 tonnes of post-consumer textiles every year, meaning that efforts to reuse and repair textiles needs to be maximised, added Pauline McDonogh, circular economy co-ordinator with the Regional Waste Management Planning Offices.
“In this campaign we are asking citizens to have items such as clothing, paired footwear and household textiles clean, dry, folded and neatly bagged before placing in clothing banks, bringing them to your local civic amenity site or donating to charity shops,” she said. “These few simple but important steps can give these items a second life and help support Ireland’s transition to a circular economy.
“There are over 1,500 Local Authority and charity donation points on our new Textiles Reuse and Recycling Map which can be accessed on Mywaste.ie. It is important that we continue our efforts to preserve our local environment by keeping the areas around the clothing banks clean and not to leave items outside the banks.” Read more here.
