Circular Textile Management Project takes its first steps towards transforming textile waste management in Portugal

A new pilot project dedicated to textile waste management is now moving forward, at a time when the sector faces growing challenges linked to waste generation and the recycling of clothing and other textile materials.

The Circular Textile Management Project, promoted by APED – the Portuguese Association of Distribution Companies and funded by the Environmental Fund, emerges as a collaborative initiative bringing together textile producers, retailers, waste operators, public entities and other strategic partners. LIPOR is among these partners, taking an active role in the project’s development.

The main goal of this initiative is to create a shared working space that enables a deeper understanding of the reality of textile waste in Portugal and supports the definition of more effective and sustainable future solutions.

The project’s objectives include:

In addition, the project aims to generate data and indicators that can support future decision making, in a context where the lack of harmonised information still hinders the planning of adequate infrastructure.

This is an urgent environmental challenge. The figures illustrate the scale of the problem: in 2025, around 6,238 t of textiles were selectively collected in Portugal, according to official data. Even so, more than 50 percent of municipal waste still ends up in landfill, including a large share of discarded textiles.

At European level, the situation is also concerning: less than 1 percent of used textiles are recycled fibre to fibre, according to the European Union’s strategy for textile sustainability. In this scenario, Member States will be required to implement Extended Producer Responsibility systems by 2028.

The project seeks precisely to prepare the sector for this transition, promoting technical, environmental and economic knowledge on the different possible solutions. The aim is to build solid foundations for a more circular, efficient and sustainable textile management system in Portugal.

More than a study, this is a cooperation initiative designed to bring all sector stakeholders closer together and accelerate the shift in paradigm for textile waste management.

For more information and ways to participate, learn more here (page in Portuguese).