The EU Textiles Ecosystem Platform has released the first edition of the Report on Best Practices report, highlighting ten outstanding initiatives that are accelerating the ecosystem’s transition towards sustainability, circularity, and social responsibility. These best practices, identified and validated by the editorial team, demonstrate how diverse actors across the textiles value chain are delivering real impact.

The report features both collective actions and company-led innovations, spanning a wide range of ecosystem segments and geographies. Each best practice offers a replicable model for others and illustrates the power of collaboration, innovation, and commitment.

The following organisations are featured in the report.  

1. Circular innovation in the Prato Textile District  

The Prato textile district, with leadership from Confartigianato Imprese and a network of local companies, is investing in a state-of-the-art recycling hub to process both pre- and post-consumer textile waste, setting a benchmark for circular infrastructure in Europe.

2. New circular business models as drivers of growth: the case of Recover™  

Recover™, originally part of Ferre Yarns, has become a leader in recycled cotton fibres, demonstrating how a traditional manufacturer can successfully pivot to a circular business model.

3. VEJA: Transforming the social dimension of footwear manufacturing

VEJA has embedded social responsibility throughout its supply chain, from sourcing organic cotton and rubber directly from producer communities to ensuring fair labour practices and supporting social integration in logistics.

4. Connecting the dots: how RREUSE bridges social enterprises and institutions for circular success

RREUSE, a European network of social enterprises, provides expert guidance on new EU waste regulations and fosters knowledge exchange to advance circular business models in textiles.

5. Resource-saving innovation in the tanning industry: the example of Hearth Leather by Rino Mastrotto  

Rino Mastrotto has developed a patented process that drastically reduces water and chemical use in leather tanning, demonstrating how environmental innovation can go hand in hand with industrial excellence.

6. Breaking the silence: how data is transforming gender equality in textile factories  

The Partnership for Sustainable Textiles, with partners such as Hess Natur-Textilien, Gerry Weber International, and FEMNET, has developed a scalable assessment tool to address gender equality and improve working conditions in textile manufacturing.

7. The Discover Natural Fibres initiative: a model for textile industry collaboration  

The Discover Natural Fibres Initiative brings together organisations from across the world to promote knowledge sharing, innovation, and sustainability in the natural fibres sector.

8. BALI Chair: multi-stakeholder collaboration as a driver of systemic change  

The BALI Chair, coordinated by ESTIA and supported by the Nouvelle-Aquitaine Region, unites academia, industry, and service providers to advance circular fashion and local industrial skills.

9. Closing the loop in the carpet industry: Ege Carpets initiatives  

Ege Carpets has embedded circularity into its business model by using regenerated nylon yarn and launching the CircleBack take-back and recycling system for carpets.

10. Prolonging the lifespan of denim: repair and reuse services at Nudie Jeans

Nudie Jeans has built a business model around repair and reuse, offering free repairs and resale of used jeans, and setting a commercial example for circularity in fashion.

These best practices cover a broad spectrum of the Transition Pathway’s building blocks, including sustainable competitiveness, social dimension, research and innovation, infrastructure, and skills. They involve a variety of stakeholders, from SMEs and large companies to academic institutions, NGOs, and international networks.

Each case study in the report is described in detail, providing practical insights into the challenges faced, solutions developed, and results achieved. Readers will find concrete examples of how knowledge exchange, cross-sector collaboration, and investment in innovation are already transforming the textiles ecosystem. The report also highlights the potential for these approaches to be replicated or adapted by others, offering inspiration and guidance for stakeholders across the ecosystem.

The EU Textiles Ecosystem Platform will continue to identify and share new best practices, encouraging all stakeholders to engage, propose their own initiatives, and draw inspiration from these leading examples.

Read the full Report on Best Practices for detailed insights and discover how the textiles ecosystem is advancing towards a greener, more resilient future.