The context
Romanian clothing consumption has grown in recent years, reaching around EUR 5-7 billion, making it a mid-sized market in Eastern Europe. Romanians' purchasing power remains below the EU27 average, but the share of the budget they allocate to clothing purchases is higher (6% vs 4% respectively). This market growth has led to increased textile post-consumer waste generation, which now amounts to approximately 160,000 tonnes per year, according to ARTEX, the Romanian Association for Textile Reuse and Recycling.¹ Separate collection of used textile remains among the lowest in Europe: only 0.5–0.7 kg per capita, compared to 6–12 kg in Western European countries and more than 95% of textiles end up incinerated or landfilled (source: Ziarul Financiar, 17 December 2025).  The ecosystem for collecting, sorting, and recycling is growing,² but its capacity remains limited. This is why awareness and education about reuse and extending clothing lifetimes are gaining importance in Romania.

Educational programmes promoted by Humana People to People
Humana People to People Romania operates 40 second-hand clothing stores and employs around 300 people nationwide. In 2025, it launched Humana Hub, a platform for education and dialogue on sustainable fashion. The platform connects consumers, designers, and experts and creates a space to discuss practical solutions to reduce textile waste. Activities take place both in physical locations (Humana stores) and online. So far, the events and workshops organised have attracted over 100 participants to topics such as smart clothing choices, closet organisation, garment life extension, and upcycling. 
In parallel, Humana developed its first educational programme on sustainable fashion, “Iubim Sustenabilitatea în Modă / We Love Sustainable Fashion”, in partnership with Fundația Noi Orizonturi. The programme, which started two years ago, focuses on raising awareness among young people about the environmental impact of fashion and promoting responsible consumption. In the first year, Humana developed an educational toolkit (freely available to teachers) and implemented the programme in three schools, reaching 65 students. Of these, 31 became peer trainers and reached over 200 additional classmates. In the second year, the programme expanded to eight local communities, trained 19 youth ambassadors and engaged around 200 students in workshops. The project received a national award at the Romanian Sustainability and CSR Awards.

Awareness raising campaign and practical tools to engage citizens promoted by Viitor Plus
Asociația Viitor Plus is a Romanian non-profit organisation founded 20 years ago that today employs 75 workers, half of whom in its Atelierul de Pânză, a social enterprise focused on the production of eco-friendly textile products through upcycling activities and the employment of disadvantaged and vulnerable workers. The company uses pre-consumer waste from various sources, including for example IKEA’s fabric leftovers.
Asociația Viitor Plus also contributes to circularity and consumer engagement through both practical tools and educational initiatives. Its Harta Reciclării (Recycling Map), helps citizens identify collection points and reuse solutions for their clothes, thus making circular practices easier to access. The platform was initially developed in 2019 and upgraded in late 2024. Now it maps more than 20,0000 collection points of which 755 for textile and shoes , over 340 points dedicated to repairs and second-hand stores and 150 points for donation.  At the end of 2025,  Viitor Plus also launched a dedicated campaign to highlight the scale of textile waste and encourage reuse, repair and responsible disposal: “Muntele de Haine” (Mountain of Clothes). So far, the campaign has received around  800,000 views on social media channels (Facebook, Instagram and TikTok).

Conclusion
Romania’s textile sector illustrates the structural challenges of transitioning towards circularity. Low collection and sorting rates, together with limited recycling capacity, require relevant investment in logistics and infrastructure. However, infrastructure alone might not be sufficient as circularity also depends on consumer behaviour. Awareness and education initiatives, therefore, play an important role in supporting the transition, especially as younger generations show increasing openness to second-hand consumption and alternative ownership models. In this context, the work of Humana People to People Romania and Asociația Viitor Plus is a remarkable example of impactful activities that provide consumers with the instruments to translate policy changes into effective practices.

^{1 ARTEX brings together over 10 companies active in the circular economy, with a combined turnover exceeding EUR 50 million and more than 1,000 worrkers. ARETEX’s mission is to facilitate the transition of Romania’s textile industry towards a circular model by promoting textile reuse and recycling and strengthening dialogue between companies, authorities, and the general public.}

^{2 Roseco, part of the Mendola Group, recently inaugurated the first textile recycling plant in Romania using post-consumer textiles as raw material (source: Ziarul Financiar, 6 April 2026).}