In today’s world, societies have been initiated into a fast-fashion mentality, where the dictum ‘Fashion comes
and goes’ has transformed the way the fashion industry operates. This ever-growing demand for fabric and
clothing, has led to an unprecedented increase in the number of textiles produced and eventually discarded.
Studies have shown that textile production is responsible for polluting up to 20% of the global water resources,
for releasing 35% of primary microplastics into the environment and for 10% of the world carbon dioxide
emissions. Although campaigns and global efforts have been initiated to tackle this threat, less than 1% of the
global production of textiles is recycled, due to insufficient technology. With the aim to curb environmental
consequences, the European Union urges member states to transition into a circular economy model.
In that respect, Uptextile project, financed by the Green Fund, aims to tackle the issue of textile surplus, by
setting four main objectives:
- Improve the efficiency of resources in the textiles throughout the entire value chain (production, use, processing, disposal).
- Strengthen national policies in the implementation of separate collection.
- Advocate towards adopting the circular economy model concerning textiles by raising awareness
- Promoting the concepts of prevention, reuse, processing, recycling for students, citizens and stakeholders
The implementation of the project will take place in the municipality of Lykovrisi-Pefki, where 10 specially
designed bins for textile collection will be installed in primary schools and at the «Iliako Chorio» region, for
easier access to the public. Dynamic workshops for textile management, “upcycling” activities and Bazaars
will also be organized in the area, aiming to educate and facilitate textile reuse and/or disposal. Finally, a
manual of good practices will be created as well as a “Policy Paper” concerning circular economy practices
regarding textile management.