Is the EU textile waste directive a policy failure? : Learning from Swedish and German insights
Stihl, Linda LU
and Friedrich, Jonathan
LU
(2026)
In European Planning Studies
- Abstract
- We explore how top-down policy directionalities are implemented differently across space and the challenges this comes with, based on an analysis of the European Union's amended Waste Framework Directive (WFD), which demands separate textile waste collection. Based on research in Germany and Sweden, we examine the policy implementation by municipal actors, its resulting effects, how different stakeholders evaluate it and the lessons learned, to assess whether it should be considered a policy failure. We find that the textile collection and sorting industry is experiencing a general crisis due to rising energy and labour costs, reduced market access and the rise of ultra-fast fashion, but that the effects differ between the two countries.... (More)
- We explore how top-down policy directionalities are implemented differently across space and the challenges this comes with, based on an analysis of the European Union's amended Waste Framework Directive (WFD), which demands separate textile waste collection. Based on research in Germany and Sweden, we examine the policy implementation by municipal actors, its resulting effects, how different stakeholders evaluate it and the lessons learned, to assess whether it should be considered a policy failure. We find that the textile collection and sorting industry is experiencing a general crisis due to rising energy and labour costs, reduced market access and the rise of ultra-fast fashion, but that the effects differ between the two countries. The WFD has increased the challenges faced by different industry actors and created different outcomes across space. While municipalities with municipal waste companies are generally able to comply with the requirements, those dependent on external service providers may be more challenged. We discuss the policy's mixed results as an opportunity for learning, particularly related to how the planned extended producer responsibility policy can mitigate current crisis tendencies, the role of municipalities, and spatial planning in enacting the circular economy and the tensions that arise between top-down directionality and subsidiarity. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/258024ae-da5a-4a02-b173-bc0901bd2c95
- author
- Stihl, Linda
LU
and Friedrich, Jonathan
LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2026-09-22
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- epub
- subject
- keywords
- Textile waste, Waste Framework Directive, Circular Economy, Municipalities, Extended Producer Responsibility
- in
- European Planning Studies
- publisher
- Taylor & Francis
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:105051490751
- ISSN
- 1469-5944
- DOI
- 10.1080/09654313.2026.2733504
- project
- Excellence Programme for Sustainable Development
- Circular Value & Supply Chains, Regional Development, and Multi-Level Policy Dynamics
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- 258024ae-da5a-4a02-b173-bc0901bd2c95
- date added to LUP
- 2026-09-23 09:17:54
- date last changed
- 2026-10-05 04:00:26
@article{258024ae-da5a-4a02-b173-bc0901bd2c95,
abstract = {{We explore how top-down policy directionalities are implemented differently across space and the challenges this comes with, based on an analysis of the European Union's amended Waste Framework Directive (WFD), which demands separate textile waste collection. Based on research in Germany and Sweden, we examine the policy implementation by municipal actors, its resulting effects, how different stakeholders evaluate it and the lessons learned, to assess whether it should be considered a policy failure. We find that the textile collection and sorting industry is experiencing a general crisis due to rising energy and labour costs, reduced market access and the rise of ultra-fast fashion, but that the effects differ between the two countries. The WFD has increased the challenges faced by different industry actors and created different outcomes across space. While municipalities with municipal waste companies are generally able to comply with the requirements, those dependent on external service providers may be more challenged. We discuss the policy's mixed results as an opportunity for learning, particularly related to how the planned extended producer responsibility policy can mitigate current crisis tendencies, the role of municipalities, and spatial planning in enacting the circular economy and the tensions that arise between top-down directionality and subsidiarity.}},
author = {{Stihl, Linda and Friedrich, Jonathan}},
issn = {{1469-5944}},
keywords = {{Textile waste; Waste Framework Directive; Circular Economy; Municipalities; Extended Producer Responsibility}},
language = {{eng}},
month = {{09}},
publisher = {{Taylor & Francis}},
series = {{European Planning Studies}},
title = {{Is the EU textile waste directive a policy failure? : Learning from Swedish and German insights}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09654313.2026.2733504}},
doi = {{10.1080/09654313.2026.2733504}},
year = {{2026}},
}