Vilarrasa moves forward in circularity and joins the Circular Fashion Pact, a voluntary agreement to which companies and entities of the textile sector have joined in order to change the environmental and climate impact of this sector, the second most polluting in the world.
After a process of dialogue and consensus, the Government of Catalonia, producers in the sector, waste managers, local government bodies, universities, research and technology centres, environmental third sector organisations and other agents have signed this Pact for Circular Fashion in Catalonia to promote the transformation of the textile sector towards a circular economy model based on a comprehensive and integrated perspective of all the actors in its value chain.
Among the objectives of the pact are to increase the durability of products and the percentage of recycled material incorporated into fabrics; to reduce and eliminate the use of harmful materials; to increase reuse with the implementation of new business models; and to deploy cleaner and more efficient production strategies.
In this sense, the companies and entities that have joined the Pact are committed to reducing the generation of textile waste by between 5% and 10%; achieving between 25% and 30% in the selective collection of this fraction by 2024; and increasing the percentage of material recovery of the selectively collected part.
The Pact for Circular Fashion takes a further step towards a sustainable transformation of the textile sector towards a circular economy. Thus, the Pact is in line with the different regulations that have been made at European, national and Catalan level. In Spain, the Spanish Circular Economy Strategy and the Draft Bill on waste establish the prohibition of incineration and landfill of unsold surpluses (2021). In addition, a set of targets for the preparation for reuse and recycling of municipal waste and separate collection of textile waste (2025) are also specified.
The Draft Bill for the prevention and management of waste and efficient use of resources in Catalonia includes specific targets and measures for textile waste. By 2025, it plans a nationwide reduction of 10% of textile waste, with respect to that generated in 2019, and 25% by 2030.
Vilarrasa has been at the forefront of the sector for more than 50 years as a manufacturer of recycled cotton yarns. Throughout its history, it has maintained a focus on sustainability and has become a benchmark for companies seeking high quality recycled cotton yarns. As experts in the recycled yarn sector, at Vilarrasa, we are very familiar with the challenges facing the textile industry today and the key role that in-house recycling can play.