CLIMATE ACTION WEEK: Will EU’s textile legislation reduce industry emissions at the pace and scale required?

According to a recent report by the European Environment Agency, the greenhouse gas emissions from textile consumption in the EU was 355kg CO2e per person (based on 2022 data). So how does the EU Commission, which is responsible for developing and implementing the EU Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles, think about climate action and textiles? Michael invited Matjaž Malgaj, the Coordinator of the cross-Directorate General team (DG ENV, DG GROW, and DG ENER) that works on making sustainable products the norm in the EU, and Head of Unit for Sustainable Products in DG ENV, to weigh in. Michael asked Matjaž about the EU Commission's view on climate action in the context of apparel and textiles, whether the commission wants the industry to align itself with science-based targets and whether the EU apparel industry and its citizens should reduce its emissions inline with the 1.5C pathway. Michael and Matjaž discuss whether the current and coming legislation will enable decarbonisation at the pace and scale science says is required, which particular pieces of legislation will be most effective and how the Commission thinks about addressing the fact that a significant amount of the industry’s emissions are created in countries outside of the EU. Michael pushed the conversation even further by asking Matjaž to weigh in on the tension between economic growth and competitiveness and environmental targets, ultra-fast fashion and overconsumption, financial rewards and penalties and what the EU can and cannot do. If you want to know how the EU Commission currently thinks about climate action in the context of the apparel industry, then you should definitely listen to this!

“Everything we do should be seen in the context of becoming a decarbonised net society by 2050.”

“Just the regulations on their own will not do everything… we know there is an issue of overconsumption.”

“We heard time and time again that we should be ambitious, but we also have to be sure that we’re designing something that can actually be rolled out in real life.”

For more information about this podcast and our guest expert, or to listen to other Climate Action Week 2025 podcast conversations, please visit: https://sustainablefashionacademy.org/stica/climate-action-week-2025/