With partners from Spain, Italy, Tunisia, Egypt, and Lebanon, the project begins its mission to reshape textile design, waste management, and innovation across the region.
The Waste2Fashion project will officially launch with its 1st Steering Committee and Kick-off Meeting on December 10–11, 2025, hosted at Barcelona Circular (Spain).
Waste2Fashion brings together partners from Spain, Italy, Tunisia, Egypt, and Lebanon to drive the transition of the Mediterranean textile and fashion industries toward circular and sustainable production models.
The Waste2Fashion project aims to transform the way fashion is conceived and produced across the Mediterranean. By integrating innovative technologies, it seeks to replace traditional linear production with truly circular models, encouraging designers and manufacturers to rethink every stage of the creative process with sustainability at its core.
At the same time, the project is dedicated to building a strong regional value chain by empowering Mediterranean fashion SMEs. Through enhanced knowledge, upgraded skills, and deeper cross-border collaboration, these businesses will be supported in aligning with EU circularity standards and evolving market expectations, ensuring the region’s fashion sector can thrive in a more sustainable future.
Across Spain, Italy, Tunisia, Egypt, and Lebanon, 5 local textile waste organizations will be strengthened with improved systems for collection, sorting, and recycling—laying the groundwork for more efficient and sustainable waste management. More than 450 workers in sorting plants will benefit directly from upgraded technologies that enhance both their productivity and their working conditions.
To foster innovation in circular design, the project will train over 60 designers, sustainability managers, and start-up founders through its Eco-design Academy, equipping them with the skills to redesign products and processes for a circular economy. At the entrepreneurial level, 10 start-ups and SMEs will receive dedicated support through the Circular Acceleration Lab, helping them bring sustainable textile-based products to market.
Public authorities will also play a key role: 5 local and regional institutions will be guided in strengthening their textile waste policies and systems. In parallel, the project will engage 120 policymakers, industry actors, and public stakeholders through targeted dissemination and capitalization activities, ensuring broad awareness, dialogue, and long-term impact across the Mediterranean region.
The Waste2Fashion project officially begins with a two-day Kick-off Meeting and Steering Committee in Barcelona, where partners from Spain, Italy, Tunisia, Egypt and Lebanon will gather to set the foundations for a new circular model for post-consumer textile waste in the Mediterranean.
Day 1 (December 10) will open with introductions from all participating organisations and an overview of the project’s vision and roadmap. Throughout the morning, partners will share how each country contributes to building a coordinated Mediterranean response to textile waste. The afternoon will focus on preparing the project’s pilot activities, exploring technical needs and identifying challenges and opportunities across the different national contexts. Representatives from Egypt, Tunisia, Lebanon and Catalonia will exchange insights to ensure a shared approach before the implementation phase begins. The day will end with an open discussion consolidating the first strategic decisions of the partnership.
Day 2 (December 11) will address key administrative and communication requirements for the project’s rollout, followed by a visit to Solidança, the host organisation of the Catalan pilot. This field visit will allow partners to see firsthand the experience and infrastructure supporting textile waste collection and preparation for reuse or recycling. The meeting will conclude with an outline of next steps and the milestones that will guide Waste2Fashion in its first year.
Last Update
10/12/2025
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