On 5 June 2025, Commissioner Jessika Roswall, Commissioner for Environment, Water Resilience and a Competitive Circular Economy, delivered a keynote at the Global Fashion Summit in Copenhagen - the 16th edition of the event organised by the Global Fashion Agenda.

Her speech opened with a powerful metaphor: the Øresundsbron Bridge linking Denmark and Sweden symbolises how Europe must also bridge divides between sectors, values and sustainability goals. She emphasised that fashion and textiles can become catalysts for a greener, more resilient economy through circularity, innovation and collaboration.

Commissioner Jessika Roswall highlighted the importance of circularity as a competitive advantage, stressing the need to keep textiles in use for longer, increase the share of recycled materials, and adopt circular business models to reduce waste and strengthen Europe’s resilience. She spoke about new EU tools to support this transition, including the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation, the Digital Product Passport, and upcoming mandatory Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) rules for textiles designed to set common standards while safeguarding small businesses. Addressing growing concerns around unfair competition, she also underscored the need for tougher market surveillance, better customs controls, and potential small parcel levies under the Digital Services and Digital Markets Acts to ensure a level playing field.

Read the full address on the European Commission portal available here.