The聽Textiles Recycling Expo聽held a press conference at the聽Press Club Brussels, drawing participation from key industry associations, sustainability leaders, and EU policy stakeholders ahead of the in-person event on 4鈥�5 June 2025 at Brussels Expo, Belgium. The press conference marked a major milestone in the lead-up to the event, with speakers highlighting both the challenges and opportunities facing Europe鈥檚 textile industry as it transitions toward a circular economy. Zied Chetoui, Event Manager stated: 鈥淎s regulation evolves, particularly here in Europe, the industry must act to implement innovative solutions, and this is precisely why the Textiles Recycling Expo was created.鈥�
In coverage by聽Materials Recycling World (MRW), the conference was framed as a timely response to a 鈥渟upply crisis鈥� in post-consumer textiles.聽 Also summarised by聽Ecotextile News,聽Robert van der Kerkhof, CEO of鈥疪eHubs, told the press conference: 鈥淚t really is a new platform, where people can connect, where education can happen, but also 鈥� very importantly 鈥� be the inspiration for new investments and technologies for the future.聽鈥淪peakers will come from government bodies, policy leaders, industry experts, academia, innovators, but also the brands, because it鈥檚 these companies that actually shape the textile-to-textile recycling future.鈥�
The Brussels Times聽noted that the industry is at a pivotal moment, stating that 鈥淓urope鈥檚 textile industry is set to weave a common strategy together鈥� through collaboration, innovation, and regulation. This aligns with the Expo鈥檚 core purpose鈥攖o provide a unified platform for decision-makers and operational leaders to accelerate scalable, circular solutions for textiles.
Julia Ettinger, Secretary General from EuRIC, said: 鈥淚 think the event comes at a really crucial time for the textile sector and also for Europe鈥檚 broader efforts to move towards the circular economy that we have been talking about for many, many years.聽We need to amplify the voices of the European textile reuse operating sector, as well as the recycling sector. We need to share practical know-how and build momentum for European policies that can unlock the full potential of the textile sector and address the unprecedented crisis that we are facing.鈥�
聽Karla Basselier, CEO of Fedustria, agreed: 鈥淭he Textile Recycling Expo in Belgium comes at a crucial moment for our industry.聽It will offer a platform to accelerate the shift towards a more circular economy. And whilst we all believe that our industries are constantly innovating, we also have to face some facts, only a percentage of all textiles are currently recycled.鈥�
Dirk Vantyghem, Director General of EURATEX, said: 鈥淥ur mandate is to represent the entire European textile ecosystem, which is around 200,000 companies in the EU generating 鈧�170 billion ($192bn).聽For us, the big question is how do we reconcile sustainability and competitiveness. How do we push our companies towards reducing their footprint, being more sustainable while at the same time remaining competitive in this textile industry?鈥�