Registration & Welcome Coffee

Session 1:

Trade Restrictions: Is the Global Reuse of Post-Consumer Textiles at Risk?

The export of second-hand textiles to Sub-Saharan countries has been the focus of NGOs and the media over the last two years. The primary criticism is that a large fraction of the imported second-hand textiles is not fit for reuse and must be landfilled upon arrival. Various studies on this subject have led to different conclusions. We aim to discuss the status and relevance of the second-hand trade in these countries and potential measures to improve the current system.

We will hear about UNEP’s Circularity and Used Textiles Trade project. Working in Kenya, Ghana, Pakistan, and Tunisia, this project aims to identify key policy, financing, investment, and regulatory priorities for trade and policy reforms, as well as financing options to enable transformative change.

This will be followed by a panel discussion with experts working on the ground in Africa, as well as academia, to explore beyond the headlines and media coverage. We aim to gain a greater understanding of what really happens to used textiles imported into the Global South and the environmental, social, and economic implications. Additionally, we will explore whether this media coverage is driving policy decisions that put the industry at risk and threaten the viability of achieving a circular textiles economy.

Chairman: 

• Alan Wheeler, CEO, Textile Recycling Association (GBR)

Invited speakers: 

• Beatriz Fernandez, Programme Management Officer,  United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) (CHE)
• Michelle Wilson, Director of Programmes, WasteAid (GBR)

Invited panellists: 

• Marlvin Owusu, Executive Member, Ghana Used Clothing Dealers Association (GHA)
• Peter Lund-Thomsen, Professor of Corporate Social Responsibility in Developing Countries, Copenhagen Business School (DNK)
• Mariska Boer, President, EuRIC Textiles - European Recycling Industries' Confederation (EU)

Networking lunch

Session 2:

Policy Priorities: Are Current Global Discussions Heading in the Right Direction?

Upcoming regulations, such as the Waste Shipment Directive and the current revision of the Waste Framework Directive, as well as several initiatives in a number of US states, will have a significant impact on the international flow of post-consumer textiles for reuse and recycling.

In this session, we will explore the overarching international policy directions, identifying opportunities to be pursued and supported by stakeholders, as well as the risks and measures needed to mitigate these risks. For example, current EU policy tends to favour keeping textiles within the EU, but the demand for recycled fibers (e.g., textile manufacturers) is largely from outside the EU and outside OECD countries, as is the demand for used clothing. Can this be achieved?

Chairman:

• Martin Böschen, BIR Textiles Division President, CEO, TEXAID TextilverwertungsAG (CHE)

Invited speaker:

• Vincenzo Gente, Policy Officer, unit 'From Waste to Resources' of the Directorate-General for Environment of the European Commission (EU)

Invited panellists: 

• Teresiah Wairimu, Chairperson, MCAK Mitumba Consortium Association of Kenya (KEN)
• Julia Ettinger Blees, Secretary General, EuRIC - European Recycling Industries' Confederation (EU)
• Mauro Scalia, Director Sustainable Businesses, Euratex - European Apparel and Textile Confederation (EU)
• Maud Hardy, General Manager, ReFashion (FRA)

Coffee break

Session 3:

Recycling Technologies: How to Launch the Circular Textiles Value Chain?

This session will focus on what needs to be done to upscale recycling (chemical, mechanical, thermochemical, etc.) to make it commercially viable. This includes exploring how reuse and recycling partners can collaborate with the textile and fashion industry to bridge existing gaps and identify where investment is needed to ensure that new recycling and sorting processes become commercially viable.

We will also consider the opportunities for delegates at this meeting to engage with BIR to take these opportunities forward. How do we convert attendance at this meeting into membership in a circular textiles division, and how can we translate this into action?

Chairman: 

• Robert Van de Kerkhoff, CEO & Founder, PEPPER-i2, Impact & Inspire (CHE)

Invited panellists: 

• Cyndi Rhoades, Co-Founder, Circle-8 Textile Ecosystems, CEO, Worn Again Technologies (GBR)
• Chris Deloof, Executive Director, ReHubs (EU)
• Rudrajeet Pal, Professor, The Swedish School of Textiles – University of Borås (SWE) 
• Harsha Vardhan, Head of Value Chain, Syre (SWE)
• Anna Pehrsson, Head of Circularity, TEXAID (CHE)

Networking cocktail