How Prato is leading Europe's textile circular economy

♻️ (Re)made in Italy – How a centuries-old industrial district is becoming a model for Europe’s circular economy. Fast fashion creates mountains of waste, but what if textiles could be truly circular? Comune di Prato is a leading European textile district with a rich history of innovation in recycling and the circular economy! From 19th-century recycled fabrics to today's regenerated fibres. Nearly half the world's export of carded woollens comes from Prato, making it “one of the most important production hubs in Europe and worldwide for the textile and clothing supply chain,” according to the city! They are proving that sustainable textiles isn't just a dream 🧶 In May, the Net Zero District project was officially launched. It is supported by fellow Italian cities of Comune di Bergamo, Comune di Parma, and Roma Capitale and part of the EU Cities Mission Enabling City Transformation programme. While the current practice of selecting and treating post-consumer textile waste by hand holds back circular economy goals, a planned innovative new plant could:  - Support mechanical recycling and precise classification of fabrics by fibre type and colour, - Collect 20,000 tonnes per year of post-consumer textile waste regionally and 13,000 of pre-consumer textile waste (around 50% of the area’s production), - Install advanced automatic sorting technologies based on Near Infrared (NIR) spectroscopy,  - Have the capacity to sort up to four tonnes per hour. 🌍 A cooperation agreement between the City of Prato and the Tuscany Region, signed at the Prato Textile Days (27-28 May) to establish a permanent textile district presence in Brussels, will allow Prato to contribute to shaping European policy on eco-design, the digital product passport, and end-of-life textile regulation.  Through collaborative governance and deep industrial knowledge, Prato is not just preparing for the green industrial transition but shaping it. From archival yarns safety e-learning platforms, the district is weaving together a future where circularity, productivity, and sustainability are one fabric. ➡️ Learn how Prato is weaving a sustainable future for textiles and shaping EU policy: https://lnkd.in/edzrajHW #MissionCities #EUMissions #HorizonEU