As noted in McKinsey’s recent State of Fashion 2025 report, alternative sales channels, such as resale, are increasingly critical to driving growth among price-sensitive consumers. As a result, circular solutions, including garment repair, are becoming key to creating new revenue streams. This shift is also being driven by regulatory changes across Europe, where governments are introducing a range of sustainability policies.
The Netherlands, for example, is recognised as a global leader in textile circularity, with many ambitious initiatives from brands and government agencies alike. The country’s proactivity clearly shows how government and brands can work together to facilitate the infrastructural and behavioural changes necessary to drive circularity. Read on to learn more about the Dutch approach and what it can teach us about effective circular action.
The Netherlands: Towards a fully circular economy
The Netherlands has one of the highest circular material use rates (CMUR) in Europe, achieving a CMUR of over 30% in 2023.1 However, as in the rest of Europe, much remains to be done if the country is to meet the EU’s target of doubling the share of recycled materials in the economy’s total material use by 2030 (versus 2020 levels).
The Dutch government’s long-term vision is to achieve a fully circular economy by 2050 – one in which renewable raw materials are used again and again wherever possible, products and materials are designed for circularity, reused, repaired and refurbished, and hardly any waste is produced.2
How will this work in practice? The Dutch National Circular Economy Programme (NCEP) 2023-2030 outlines a concrete path towards this goal in the short-to-medium term.3 And the fashion industry has a critical role to play by increasing the presence of circularity within its supply chains. The specific NCEP targets for the textile industry are as follows:
- By 2025, the share of recycled materials in textile products will be 25%; 30% of the resources, materials and products placed on the Dutch textile market will be recycled after collection; 10% of the textile products placed on the Dutch market will be reused in the Netherlands after collection.
- By 2030, the share of recycled materials in textile products will be 50%; 50% of resources, materials and products placed on the Dutch textile market will be recycled after collection; 15% of the textile products placed on the Dutch market will be reused in the Netherlands after collection.
So, how is the Dutch government driving progress on circularity in the fashion industry?
A joined-up approach to advancing circularity in fashion
According to the NCEP, its objectives will be pursued through regulation, collaboration with industry stakeholders and communication with consumers. In terms of regulation, the Dutch government has been one of the leading proponents of ambitious targets for the fashion industry at the European level.
For example, the Netherlands played a key role in the EU Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles. This includes legislation to regulate the design and composition of textile products at the European level, alongside measures to prevent microplastic pollution in the environment due to textiles. The efforts of the Dutch government also helped to introduce a ban on the destruction of unsold textiles and shoes as part of the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR).
Dedicated policies to facilitate more sustainable choices
Meanwhile, the Netherlands’ Policy Programme for Circular Textile 2025-2030 marks another ambitious step towards the goal of creating a ‘safe, transparent, responsible textile chain for humans, animals and the environment’.4 This strategy includes various measures to reduce consumption, increase the use of sustainable raw materials, extend product lifespans and improve the effectiveness of recycling processes.
Proposed measures include pricing incentives that favour circular options, limiting the maximum number of clothing collections that can be released by brands per year and imposing mandatory returns fees. Also under discussion was the introduction of an upper limit to the total amount of product that individual producers can bring to market. Another suggestion supported by the Netherlands is the creation of a single mandatory Europe-wide sustainability label for textiles.
As part of this programme, the Netherlands is also looking into addressing the behavioural causes of unsustainable fashion consumption. A recent example of a practical action is a style training programme run by the Milieu Centraal organisation in 2024, which helped participants to make more conscious clothing choices by learning more about their individual styles. The subsidised programme will run again in 2025.
Extended producer responsibility: Incentivising circularity
The Netherlands is also a frontrunner in implementing extended producer responsibility (EPR), having introduced EPR for textiles in 2023. The Dutch EPR framework, which covers clothing, workwear and home textiles, will make accountability on textile producers accountable for the entire lifecycle of the products they bring to market.
This means that provisions must be made for the collection, preparation for reuse and recycling of garments. In practice, this is likely to involve producers and other stakeholders paying contributions to dedicated EPR organisations. These contributions may then be used to finance circular strategies such as repair.
Industry partnerships to catalyse change
In addition to legislative proposals and proactive initiatives, the Dutch government has also shown a willingness to work in partnership with the fashion industry to drive change. One example of productive collaboration with the private sector is the Dutch government’s Denim Deal.5
Through this innovative programme, the government supported brands such as Scotch&Soda, Kuyichi and MUD Jeans – as well as value chain partners such as garment manufacturers and recyclers – to produce 3 million items of denim clothing containing a minimum of 20% post-consumer recycled (PCR) textiles.
The result of the project was clear: the amount of jeans on the Dutch market with at least 20% PCR content increased from 8% in 2020 to 41% in 2022. Following the success of the Denim Deal, the government’s stated goal is to explore how such collaborations in the textile value chain can be scaled up internationally.
Seizing the opportunities of a circular economy for fashion
As the sustainability of the clothing we buy continues to be a top priority for legislators and consumers alike, it’s never been more important for brands to get prepared. Finding the right partner to help you can therefore be critical. And from Digital Product Passports to EPR, Bleckmann is excited to be supporting brands so they can thrive in the evolving regulatory landscape, in the Netherlands and beyond.
For example, our RESCUE programme provides brands with a simple, plug-and-play solution that enables you to quickly restore damaged returns to like-new condition – avoiding the destruction of unsold goods. With the right solutions at their fingertips, many more brands can be part of the transition to a circular economy for textiles.
Want to learn more about how we help clients deliver on their circularity ambitions? Check out our circular solutions page or get in contact today for a free consultation with a Bleckmann expert!
