A significant announcement at the National Fashion Roundtable, which took place on July 22, 2025, at the Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy, hinted to a possible sea change for the Italian textile supply chain as a whole. After coordinating with the Ministry of Environment and Energy Security, Minister Adolfo Urso said that Italy’s first decree on Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for textiles is almost finished. A startling worldwide fact highlights the importance of this regulation: every second, the equivalent of a garbage truck’s worth of textiles is either landfilled or burned. Every year, almost 600,000 tons of unsold or returned clothing are destroyed in Europe alone. With 92 million tons of textile waste produced worldwide each year, structural reform in the way fashion handles its environmental impact is imperative.
The numbers paint an even blacker picture. All but one of these garments (87%) from clothing production end up in landfills or incinerators after their final use. Less than 1% finds new life like recycled clothing. The Italian textile EPR decree now stands as a revolutionary force toward an eco-friendly and circular model for the textile industry. Producers must now take charge of managing their products’ end-of-life cycle. These rules match the Waste Framework Directive from 2021. The directive requires EU Member States to set up separate textile waste collection systems by January 1, 2025. This piece explores how Italy’s textile EPR regulation will revolutionize supply chains and what fashion brands operating in the country should expect.
Italy Issues Textile EPR Decree to Enforce Producer Responsibility
The Italian Ministry of Environment and Energy Security released a draft Ministerial Decree on April 3, 2025. This decree establishes Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for the textile sector and remains open for public consultation until May 5, 2025. Italy’s early adoption of separate textile waste collection became mandatory in January 2022, three years before the EU-wide 2025 deadline.
The decree’s scope covers various products entering the Italian market first: clothing, footwear, accessories, leather goods, home textiles, and mattresses. “Producers” – any natural or legal person introducing textile products to the Italian market first – must now take responsibility for their product’s complete lifecycle.
These new regulations require producers to fund and set up systems that collect, recover, and recycle post-consumer textile waste. Both traditional manufacturers and e-commerce businesses selling directly to Italian customers must comply with these requirements.
This initiative seeks to minimize environmental effects, enhance waste management practices, and drive eco-design strategies while meeting EU circular economy targets. Italy’s textile sector, with its 40,000 companies generating almost €60 billion in revenue during 2024, now faces a major transformation toward sustainability.
Industry experts predict the textile EPR system will launch fully in 2026. This timeline gives businesses adequate preparation time to meet their new obligations.
Italy’s Textile EPR Decree
New EPR Rules Force Supply Chain Restructuring in Italy
Italian businesses must restructure their supply chains to comply with the country’s textile EPR decree. This regulation requires producers to finance and organize systems that handle post-consumer textile waste collection, sorting, reuse, and recycling. Companies need to implement complete eco-design measures that make environmental sustainability part of their product value chain.
Companies must now improve their supply chain visibility and traceability capabilities. They need to give consumers clear information through digital passport systems, switch to eco-friendly or recycled fibers, cut down on harmful substances, and make products last longer. The regulation also requires producers to join the National Register of Producers before selling their products in Italy.
Many textile companies have created mutually beneficial alliances with Producer Responsibility Organizations (PROs) to handle these complex requirements. Reju, to name just one example, joined forces with Rematrix, an Italian PRO that helps fashion companies take charge of their textile products’ end-of-life phase.
This teamwork shows the industry’s adaptation through specialized services. These include collection, sorting, reuse, recycling, rental, second-hand, repair solutions, and eco-design support. Such partnerships help brands meet regulations and reshape their business approach toward environmental and economic sustainability.
The Italian textile sector’s Digital Product Passport (How DPPs Are Reshaping Fashion & Supply Chains in Europe – The Traceability Hub) initiative will bring improved traceability, circularity, and transparency across fashion products’ lifecycle.
How Can Fashion Brands Comply with Italy’s EPR Regulation?
Fashion brands must understand specific compliance steps in Italy’s textile EPR landscape. Companies need to register with the National Register of Environmental Managers (Albo Nazionale Gestori Ambientali) before they can sell textile products in the Italian market.
Producer Responsibility Organizations (PROs) play a crucial role. Producers must either join these organizations or create their own collection and recycling systems. PROs act as key intermediaries between brands and waste management systems to handle compliance practically.
Each brand’s financial contributions depend on their product quantities in the market. These fees support collection, sorting, reuse, and recycling operations across Italy.
Successful compliance requires companies to:
- Implement product eco-design strategies that focus on durability, repairability, and recyclability
- Set up transparent reporting systems that track market quantities
- Develop clear product disposal labels for consumers
- Create documentation that shows EPR requirement adherence
Brands have until 2026 to prepare for full implementation, allowing time to adapt their business models. E-commerce platforms selling directly to Italian consumers must follow these regulations, whatever their physical presence in Italy.
Fashion brands can secure competitive advantages in Italy’s circular textile economy by meeting these legal requirements effectively.
From Runway to Responsibility
Italy’s textile EPR decree marks a turning point for the fashion industry. The regulation tackles a harsh reality – every second, textile waste equal to one garbage truck ends up in landfills or incinerators worldwide. This bold framework makes producers responsible and changes how companies think about their products’ lifecycles.
Fashion brands in Italy need to prepare for major changes before 2026. The detailed scope of the decree covers clothing, footwear, home textiles, and mattresses, which means companies must transform their entire supply chain. Brands must now register and pay to support collection and recycling systems.
Many businesses tap into the potential of Producer Responsibility Organizations through partnerships. These teams help brands deal with complex rules and guide them toward green practices. On top of that, the Digital Product Passport will create a new level of tracking throughout product lifecycles.
Other EU members might follow Italy’s example as they work to meet the 2025 separate collection deadline. Italy’s early start could become a model to deal with textile waste effectively. The textile industry faces a crucial moment that weighs regulatory compliance against real environmental change.
Brands that adapt their business models early will gain an edge in this new digital world. These changes go way beyond checking boxes – they need a complete rethink of design, production, and what happens after consumers use products. Though tough, these changes line up with what environmentally conscious customers want.
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