This project is funded by the Environmental Protection Agency’s Green Enterprise: Innovation for a Circular Economy grant-aid funding programme.

The Problem

The fashion industry produces up to 10% of global CO2 emissions, is the second largest consumer of water of any industry, has significant impacts on water and ocean pollution.

In Ireland, about 68,000 tonnes textiles are discarded every year by householders and commercial users. By comparison, about 14,500 tonnes of textiles are reused by ICSA membersIf we could divert just 15% of textiles currently discarded, over 100,000 tonnes carbon could be avoided.

Project Overview

Developing a Circular Textiles System for Ireland will involve a pilot programme to test the impact of three different separate collection systems – such as kerbside/ door-to-door collections, new collection points or communications providing information about where and what to donate – for used textiles on the Irish market. These three pilots, Donate Don’t Waste, are taking place in Arklow Co Wicklow, Buncrana Co Donegal and Charleville Co Cork.

To our knowledge, a project of this nature has not been carried out before. It is particularly important to test systems in Ireland because of our unique context – with an extensive charity retail sector and privatised waste collection system. A communications campaign will be a key element of the pilot. 

The project will also explore how we could manage the additional quantity of textiles that are collected. This will provide local business opportunities and support resilience

Project Partners

Image: Rediscovery Centre

Contact us:

Please contact research lead Christine Costelloe at [email protected] with any queries or feedback on this project.

Sign up to our quarterly newsletter for more information on reuse and recycling and be part of Ireland’s only reuse and recycling network. For information about our privacy practices, see here.

Our funders

EPA Circular Economy Programme

CRNI supports its members and works to mainstream reuse thanks to core funding provided by the EPA under the Circular Economy Programme.

For more information about the programme see here.

Project Funding

ReMark Quality Mark

CRNI received funding from the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications through the Circular Economy Innovation Grant Scheme to carry our the next phase of the ReMark project. 

For more information about the project see here.

Circular Textiles

CRNI is leading an EPA Green Enterprise project Circular Textiles, which will test the impact of three different separate collection systems for textiles and explore how we could manage the additional quantity of textiles that are collected. This project will be concluded in 2022.

For more information about the project see here.