Ecotessili is the Producer Responsibility Organization (PRO) of Sistema Ecolight for textile sector.
Ecotessili was born from the experience and know-how of Sistema Ecolight to make the tools and knowledge acquired over 20 years of activity available to textile companies.
Ecotessili’s mission is to create a new EPR system that can combine efficiency, traceability and reduced environmental impact when managing textile products discarded by consumers or businesses, creating a dedicated and reliable supply chain. The PRO, which has been promoted by Federdistribuzione and important federation member brands, acts as the primary point of contact for companies in order to create a green supply chain to manage textiles and fabrics, ensuring that the companies themselves play a leading role in strategic planning, promoting circular business and design models to reduce the negative effects of production and consumption, extending the lifespan of fabrics and increasing the use of recycled materials, as well as achieving better collection, reuse and recycling of textile waste.
SISTEMA ECOLIGHT
Ecotessili is an integral part of Sistema Ecolight, a hub of PROs representing over 2,800 companies. It has been operating within the EPR scheme with Ecolight since 2004 for WEEE and batteries and accumulators, and with Ecopolietilene since 2020 for polyethylene goods. Sistema Ecolight also includes Ecoremat (PRO for bulky waste) and the operating company Ecolight Servizi, which provides collection, recovery, training, and environmental compliance services to businesses throughout Italy.
Ecotessili has signed the Sistema Ecolight’s Environmental Quality Policy.
The Consortium is ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 certified.
THE TEXTILE CONTEXT
The textile industry has a significant impact on the ecosystem. Multiple studies by leading research centres have highlighted critical issues related to high water consumption (it takes 2,700 litres of water to produce one cotton T-shirt), pollution from pesticides and greenhouse gas emissions.
“Using data provided by the Sustainable Apparel Coalition and the Textile Exchange, emissions from the Apparel sector were estimated at 1.025 gigatonnes CO₂e in 2019. If left unchecked, emissions will rise to 1.588 gigatonnes by 2030” (World Resources Institute, ‘Roadmap to Net Zero: Delivering Science-Based Targets in the Apparel Sector’, 2021).
The global textile trade is expanding exponentially: clothing production giants like the United States, China, India and EU countries have been increasing their production to cope with increased consumption linked to the ‘fast fashion’ phenomenon.
In light of the alarming environmental impact and the increasing demands for concerted action to combat climate change, the European Union has approved the obligation for member states to adopt the EPR scheme for textile products by 2025. In Italy, Legislative Decree 116/2020 brought forward this obligation to January 1, 2022.
To implement the EPR scheme, textile companies are awaiting the framework that outlines the operating procedures. The Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security has announced the decree will be issued in early 2026.