Reports & studies

Textiles and circular economy: your guide to sustainable entrepreneurship

Go for Circular is just one of the initiatives of the FPS Economy to make a host of information available that helps entrepreneurs make their business practices even more sustainable. Every industry has specific needs and challenges and that is why the FPS Economy also supports various ‘norm antennas’. These are organisations that help companies in their industry with specific questions on quality standards, circularity, intellectual property, etc.

Manufacturing
In transition

Centexbel is a research and knowledge institution that helps Belgian textile and plastic processing companies become more sustainable. Thanks to the support of the FPS Economy, Centexbel also acts as the norm antenna for textile and plastic processing companies.

Europe also takes into account the steps the textile industry is undertaking to become more circular. The European Commission has a clear vision in striving for textiles with a longer life thanks to high-quality materials and the options for repairing clothing items.

Circular Wallonia and Centexbel have joined forces to determine how Wallonia can contribute to the extension of the life of textiles and leather. Their study reveals that Wallonia can capitalise on these economic opportunities, what preparations are required and where entrepreneurs can find the inspiration to get cracking with sustainable textile solutions.

However, those insights are not just valuable for Wallonia: all Belgian companies that want to make strides towards the reuseReuse designates all operations by which substances, materials or products that are not waste are used again in an identical way to their originally intended purpose. and repairRepair is making a faulty product work again, allowing its use to be extended without the user parting with it, or with a view to reuse (donation, second-hand sale). of textiles can draw inspiration from this.

More details?
Download the presentation in full.

Curious to discover the entire study? You can read it in French on the Centexbel website.

Do you have specific questions regarding (circular) entrepreneurship in the textile industry? Contact Centexbel, the norm antenna supported by the FPS Economy. You can also find plenty of tips, inspiration and information on the manufacturing industry page of this website.