During the summer, Water Europe has been active replying to the 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 ZeroBrine 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 recommendations made by Water Europe are based on the inputs from its members and the outcomes of Water Innovation Europe 2021.
If we welcome the links made by the European Commission with the ongoing revision of the Industrial Emissions Directive, particularly the BREF on Textile industry, the chemical strategy for sustainability and the circular economy action plan, the Value of Water and the exploitation of nutrients, substances and energy embedded in wastewater remain underestimated. Moreover, the development of digital tools to monitor pollution, paired with the flagship of the Zero Pollution Action plan can maximise the synergies towards a green and digitalised textile industry in Europe.
The consultation closed on the 4th of August, and we expect the publication of the strategy in the third quarter of 2021.
In line with our Vision, Water Europe position is based on 5 key recommendations:
- 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
For more information, you can find the Water Europe position – here – or you can contact Loic Charpentier.
