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On the Path to Textile Circularity in the UAE

The MOCCAE, Emirates Foundation, Landmark Group, Lulu and SOEX participated in a panel discussion that addressed the issue of textile waste, writes Swaliha Shanavas


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Textile
 
December 29 2023
 
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The textile industry is estimated to be responsible for about 10 per cent of global carbon emissions, while only about 12-15 per cent of clothing is recycled. It is evident that a vast majority of the used textiles is being diverted to landfills at the moment. This linear approach to textiles and fashion is unsustainable, and new models and systems are required to bring about a positive change in the sector.  

A welcome move

The United Arab Emirates is addressing this critical issue as textile circularity plays an important role in the nation’s ambitious sustainability goals. Tadweer (Abu Dhabi Waste Management Company) along with other key partners has launched a first-of-its-kind ‘Integrated Textile Circularity Initiative’ to be implemented across the emirates, designed to increase consumer awareness on textile recycling, and encourage collaborative efforts among stakeholders from the public and private sectors, promote sustainable consumption and foster a circular economy within the textile industry.   

It is a welcome move as figures from Tadweer reveal that the UAE’s textile consumption is currently at around 500 million pieces annually, of which around 210,000 tonnes end up as discarded materials. Up to 90 per cent of discarded textiles is currently ending up in landfills. 

“Regrettably, less than 10 per cent of this is currently formally collected for recycling, and the majority of this waste ends up in landfills posing significant environmental threats and lost value,” said Eng. Ali Al Dhaheri, Managing Director and CEO, Tadweer. “But today we choose to see this not as a challenge, but as an important opportunity for innovation, sustainability and progress,” added Al Dhaheri, who opened with comments highlighting the current state of affairs in the UAE.  

The initiative announced during COP28 saw several UAE entities including the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MOCCAE), Emirates Foundation, Landmark Group, Lulu and SOEX participate in a meaningful panel discussion that addressed the issue of textile waste, and highlighted the challenges and  possible solutions to achieve textile circularity.  

Challenges and possibilities 

Highlighting the role of consumers from the point of view of textiles, fashion and what needs to be done to create sustainability awareness to enable an initiative like this, Rajesh Garg, Group CFO & Sustainability Head at Landmark Group, stressed the need to understand consumer behaviour. One of the initiatives they have launched is the take-back programme, and the retailer has also set up a sorting and recycling facility in Dubai to recycle and convert the clothes into fibre for new garments, he said. Everyone desires industrywide circularity in a systematic manner, and in his view, unless manufacturers and brand owners like them put the old products back into the cycle to create new ones, circularity cannot be achieved.  

Surveys indicate that a majority of the consumers wish to buy from responsible brands, but the challenge is in the conversion of this sentiment into a purchasing decision as they should be willing to pay a premium for products made from recycled materials. At present, it is a costly proposition for the retailer, and they need to see this shift for the business to be sustainable, Garg stated.   

Danish Khan, Manager-Sustainability at LuLu Group said they have been working on sustainability in various areas and textile circularity is an exciting facet for them, but there are challenges in achieving circularity. This region has limited textile production. The industry is growing steadily, but going by the quantities being imported as compared to the local production, one can see this is a major hurdle to achieving circularity in the UAE, he commented.   

Khan emphasised that although there is rising consciousness in the region, consumption rates are very high leading to textile waste. And from a technical point of view, the material mix of most garments creates roadblocks to recycling, he pointed out. On the positive side, he sees an opportunity for various stakeholders to collaborate on various aspects to achieve sustainability.

Landmark Group has plans to implement significant community collection schemes, etc. But certain factors need to be addressed as Garg highlighted. Retailers have to bear the financial burden of adopting sustainable practices and there is a need for policies that can support their initiatives to achieve circularity, said Garg. Landmark has 2800 collection boxes across its stores at the moment. “So, I think we can drive this change,” but regulations need to be in place to ensure proper implementation, he noted.  

“For instance, it is an enormous cost for us to take the clothes back, convert them into fibre, ship it to Asia and put it back into the product. So, we need a clear unfettered way to collect our products,” he said. “I need to get permissions. There is a huge cost I have to pay to put a box in my store to collect my own products without having to pay additional fees.”  

The path to circularity

Tadweer highlighted the importance of undertaking programmes to scale up organised collection and recycling of used textiles so as to reduce the negative impact of textiles. The initiative also addressed this area of opportunity with various programmes to target four fundamental pillars such as community awareness development programmes, textile collection and recycling programmes, enabling ecosystem participation, and national policy development to support the ambitions in this area. 

Overall, the initiative aims to organise and expand the collection and recycling of textiles across the UAE, establishing the requisite infrastructure to support the disposal efforts and enhance recycling capabilities, and encourage more sustainable consumption patterns among businesses as well as consumers. 

H.E. Eng. Othaibah AlQaydi, Acting Assistant Undersecretary of Sustainable Communities Sector at MOCCAE said they were currently studying the state of textile recycling in the UAE, and although various initiatives are being introduced, there is a substantial opportunity to improve textile waste collection and recycling. The National Circular Economy policy is a blueprint for developing a better approach to resource management, moving away from a linear to a circular economy, said Eng. AlQaydi. The ministry is also working on EPR initiatives that are expected to come into effect soon, she noted.   

“Our journey towards reducing textile waste and promoting sustainability in the UAE’s textile sector is not just a vision. It’s a pathway to innovation, economic growth and a sustainable future. Together we have the opportunity to transform the textile industry and make a lasting positive impact on our planet and future generations,” said Eng. Ali Al Dhaheri.