Circular Economy Implementation into the Clothing and Household Textiles in Finland: planning the Reuse Practices to Meet the Specific Objectives of the LIFE IP CIRCWASTE Finland Project

Abstract

A circular economy has been promoted as one pillar of sustainability across all sectors in Finland and all other global societies. In particular, the textile industry has been criticized for its devastating footprints of natural resource exhaustion and environmental pollution resulting from unsustainable production and consumption and the disposal of after-use garments. Therefore, many organizations including traders, recyclers, waste pickers and social enterprises have started coming together to look for inspiring reuse practices to transform the way communities manufacture, procure, and use textile products. The overall aim of this thesis is to discover action plans for textile business-related producers and retailers, municipalities and non-profit organizations to keep materials in the economy through eco-design, reusing and recycling. The thesis summarizes current textile flows and focal points in the newly enacted waste law in Finland. Finally, it outlines at what level Finnish consumers accept pre-owned merchandises, and observes possible motivating factors along with an overview of specific obstacles standing in the way of consolidating the reuse of products and perspectives to overcome those challenges. The thesis was conducted using qualitative methods. The data was gathered through an online survey and semi-structured interviews with four retailers who handle discarded textiles and secondhand goods. The research reveals that a typical Finn purchases approximately 11.3 kilograms of clothing and other household textiles a year. Rather than casting off the no-longer-needed, Finns are encouraged to sell them at flea markets or collect separately in tight packaging and donate to charities or bring to recycling centers, as means of contributing to circular economy and ensuring commodities are given the fullest opportunities to reach their reuse potential. Thereby, 90% of them successfully join the influxes of secondhand markets in the country. However, regardless of the upward sign of sustainable consumption, more than 70% of those reusable but unsellable leftovers so far head to refineries and waste incinerators due to low quality fast fashion, ambiguous definition of the term “poistotekstiili” used nationwide in collecting and sorting, and lack of interest from corporate retrievers. In conclusion, Finnish textile waste management systems presently resort to the least desirable courses of the EU’s Waste Framework Directive. There are several programs to work on to engage consumers, stimulate fabricators, correct collection systems to shift the focus onto the two top practices: prevention and preparing for reuse.