The event explores how the textiles criteria under the EU’s Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation can be designed to boost the competitiveness of social and Fair Trade enterprises and support them in creating sustainable, circular textiles.
Book your seat, 1 month left to register, registration will end on Monday 23 June 2025, 20:00 (CEST)
- circular economy | business model | management of resources | sustainable economic growth strategy
- Tuesday 24 June 2025, 15:30 - 17:30 (CEST)
- Ixelles, Belgium
Practical information
- When
- Tuesday 24 June 2025, 15:30 - 17:30 (CEST)
- Where
- Rue Wiertz 60,1047 Ixelles, Belgium
- Languages
- English
- Part of
- Website
- Event website
Description
The EU is taking significant steps towards a more sustainable and circular textile sector through the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR). This presents a crucial opportunity to reshape the fashion industry, addressing issues of overproduction, pollution, and social injustice.
Many social enterprises are already engaging in practices that are circular and sustainable. These are active not just inside the EU, in key textile hubs such as Italy and Croatia, but also in third countries, showing a global trend towards more sustainable business practices. However, capturing their work in the Ecodesign framework can pose a challenge. There is a risk that poorly designed Ecodesign criteria could inadvertently disadvantage social enterprises in the way information and performance requirements are set up.
The Fair Trade Advocacy Office and the World Fair Trade Organization-Europe are hosting this event during EU Green Week to showcase best practices and learnings for policy from Fair Trade and social enterprises pioneering in sustainable production. In Brussels, joined by speakers online, practitioners from this sector will explore how the EU can ensure that the upcoming Ecodesign criteria for textiles are designed and implemented in a way that genuinely supports and empowers these vital actors, fostering a circular economy in which SMEs can be competitive.
This event aims to discuss the social and circular economy from a practitioner’s perspective, with three concrete aims:
- Showcase the crucial role of social enterprises and Fair Trade enterprises, both inside and outside the EU, and present best practices that can guide EU textiles policy towards promoting more sustainable business models.
- Identify potential challenges and opportunities for social enterprises arising from the implementation of the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation, specifically concerning textiles, and discuss concrete policy recommendations.
- Foster dialogue and collaboration between policymakers, social enterprises, and industry stakeholders to shape inclusive and effective Ecodesign regulations.
Join for an interactive discussion with representatives from social and Fair Trade enterprises, who are joining in person and online. The seminar will conclude with the launch of a white paper with policy recommendations, and the discussion will be followed by brief networking.
