Textile EPR in Germany: What Brands Need to Know

Unpacking the EPR Legislation for Textiles

Textile EPR Will the EPR regulation create incentives for a more circular textile industry? Alexander Sustal, Lawyer at Redeker Sellner Dahs, explains how Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) will change the economics of textile collection, sorting and recycling in Germany. The episode covers the status quo, the actors and financing flows an EPR scheme introduces, and the wider legal questions an EPR scheme raises. What you'll hear in this episode: • How the current market based system for used textiles is financed, why it is under pressure, and what an EPR scheme changes about who carries responsibility and who pays. • The roles of producers, Producer Responsibility Organisations (PROs), registries and supervising authorities, and how fees are collected, calculated and distributed among them. • Why eco modulation links fees to eco design criteria such as durability, repairability and recycled content, and why the level of the fees may matter as much as the criteria themselves. The episode also covers end of waste criteria, and harmonisation across Member States. People Dr. Alexander Sustal, Lawyer at Redeker Sellner Dahs https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexander-sustal-5ab89018b/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexander-sustal-5ab89018b/] Patrick Hypscher, Circular Business Strategist, PaaS Expert https://www.linkedin.com/in/hypscher/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/hypscher/] Chapters 00:00:00 Intro 00:04:46 Who funds today’s collection and sorting 00:09:03 What EPR actually means 00:10:17 Who has to pay the fees 00:13:03 Who collects the fees 00:15:53 What products the scheme covers 00:22:08 Eco-modulation: rewarding better design 00:27:16 Will competition undercut eco-modulation 00:31:59 How fee money gets divided and spent 00:35:51 Why EPR fees don’t follow exports 00:37:40 Can the EU harmonize 27 EPR schemes 00:43:41 Outro About Since its foundation in 1929, Redeker Sellner Dahs has grown to become one of the most important independent German law firms and today operates nationwide and internationally at six locations. Further Links Revised Waste Framework Directive: https://environment.ec.europa.eu/news/revised-waste-framework-directive-enters-force-2025-10-16_en [https://environment.ec.europa.eu/news/revised-waste-framework-directive-enters-force-2025-10-16_en] https://www.redeker.de/en/ [https://www.redeker.de/en/] One-page Summary Sign-up for the Circularity.fm Newsletter and get a summary with the take-aways of this episode. Register here: https://circularity.fm/episode/unpacking-the-epr-legislation-for-textiles/ [https://circularity.fm/episode/unpacking-the-epr-legislation-for-textiles/]

Textile Collection, Sorting & Recycling: The challenges we need to overcome

Textile EPR How can Europe build a commercially viable circular textile system? In this episode, Louisa Hoyes, who has worked on building up textile circularity for the past 7 years, explains why building a circular textile system requires much more than advances in recycling technology. What you'll hear in this episode: • Why collection, sorting and recycling should be designed as one connected value chain rather than separate industries. • The commercial challenges of scaling textile circularity, including infrastructure investment, feedstock quality, demand for recycled fibres, and business model innovation. • How Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) can accelerate investment, improve traceability, and support fibre-to-fibre recycling. The episode also covers emerging recycling technologies, collaboration across the textile value chain, and the expected timeline for scaling Europe's textile circularity infrastructure. People Louisa Hoyes https://www.linkedin.com/in/louisa-hoyes/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/louisa-hoyes/] Patrick Hypscher, Circular Business Strategist, PaaS Expert https://www.linkedin.com/in/hypscher/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/hypscher/] Chapters 00:00 Introduction 03:20 How today's textile collection, sorting and recycling business models work 07:58 A vision for the circular textile system in 2040 10:37 Commercial barriers to scaling textile circularity 14:28 Building demand for recycled fibres 17:02 Sorting technologies and feedstock quality 20:40 How EPR can accelerate textile circularity 23:56 Collaboration across the textile value chain 26:49 When will textile circularity reach commercial scale? 28:24 Closing reflections About TOMRA develops sensor-based sorting technologies that improve resource recovery across multiple industries, including recycling, mining and food. Within the textile sector, TOMRA works on automated sorting solutions that enable high-quality fibre recovery and support the transition towards a circular textile value chain. Further Links Connect to Louisa here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/louisa-hoyes/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/louisa-hoyes/] One-page Summary Sign-up for the Circularity.fm Newsletter and get a summary with the take-aways of this episode. Register here: https://circularity.fm/episode/textile-collection-sorting-recycling-the-challenges-we-need-to-overcome/ [https://circularity.fm/episode/textile-collection-sorting-recycling-the-challenges-we-need-to-overcome/]

How Textile EPR Will Influence Brands’ Business Model

Textile EPR From a brand's point of view, how should extended producer responsibility (EPR) be designed so that circularity pays off? Philipp Bonaventura from Schöffel explains where circular design already works, why the economics hold it back, and what the system needs to change. What you'll hear in this episode: • Why the barrier is economic, not technical: low collection volumes, weak sorting, and repair that doesn't cover its cost • How designing for repair differs from designing for recycling, and why material choice decides what can be recovered • Which fees reward durable, repairable products, and why harmonised rules across Europe matter The episode also covers what counts as a circular product, and why quality comes before recycled content. This is the second episode of the Textile EPR series. People Philipp Bonaventura, CR Manager Strategy & Environment at Schöffel https://www.linkedin.com/in/philipp-bonaventura-21409013a/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/philipp-bonaventura-21409013a/] Patrick Hypscher, Circular Business Strategist, PaaS Expert https://www.linkedin.com/in/hypscher/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/hypscher/] Chapters 00:00:00 Intro 00:01:20 The oldest product: a 90s ski jacket 00:03:18 Schöffel's business model 00:05:12 Repairing 5,000 products a year 00:06:42 A vision for textiles in 2040 00:08:31 Designing for repair and recycling 00:11:07 What makes a product circular 00:13:07 Where the economics hold circularity back 00:15:02 How EPR should reward circularity 00:17:36 Outro About Schöffel is a family-owned German outdoor and ski apparel manufacturer based in Schwabmünchen, Bavaria. Founded in 1804, Schöffel is one of the oldest outdoor brand in the world. It sells outdoor, ski, workwear and technical apparel across three business units, Schöffel Sport, Schöffel Pro and Schöffel Tech, and runs its own repair service factory. The company builds eco-design and circularity into product development, with a focus on product durability, repairability, and design for recycling. Further Links https://www.schoeffel.com/de/en/ [https://www.schoeffel.com/de/en/] One-page Summary Sign-up for the Circularity.fm Newsletter and get a summary with the take-aways of this episode. Register here: https://circularity.fm/episode/how-textile-epr-will-influence-brands-business-model/ [https://circularity.fm/episode/how-textile-epr-will-influence-brands-business-model/]

Textile EPR in Germany: What Brands Need to Know

Textile EPR How can extended producer responsibility (EPR) pay for the infrastructure that circular textiles need? This is the first episode of the Textile EPR series. We talk to Lisa Oelze from Messe München about why textiles has become the most unsettled waste stream in Europe, and Jelica Ramirez from GRS PRO Textil about how extended producer responsibility will work in Germany. What you'll hear in this episode: • What the EU Waste Framework Directive actually changes for textiles • How a producer responsibility organisation works, and why Germany's competitive model differs from France • What's still undecided in German law, and why brands shouldn't wait for it The episode also covers why EPR money stays inside Europe while used clothing keeps leaving it. People Jelica Ramirez,Program Manager at GRS PRO https://www.linkedin.com/in/jelicaramirez/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jelicaramirez/] Lisa Oelze, Business Development Manager Circular Textile, Messe München https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisaoelze/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisaoelze/] Patrick Hypscher, Circular Business Strategist, PaaS Expert https://www.linkedin.com/in/hypscher/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/hypscher/] Chapters 0:00 Intro 1:44 Meet Lisa Oelze: what IFAT is 3:18 IFAT’s role and the masterclass 5:55 Meet Jelica: GRS PRO 8:27 What textile EPR changes 11:23 Germany’s open questions and competitive PROs 13:28 The race-to-the-bottom risk 15:01 Africa and the cross-border gap 18:41 What brands should do now 20:06 Outro About GRS PRO is a German environmental-services provider that runs extended producer responsibility systems, especially for batteries and textiles, helping producers meet legal obligations for collection, logistics, and recycling of their products. IFAT is a global trade fair brand for environmental technologies, with events such as IFAT Munich and other regional editions that bring together companies and experts around water, waste, recycling, and circular-economy solutions. Further Links IFAT Munich: https://ifat.de/en/trade-fair/ [https://ifat.de/en/trade-fair/] GRS PRO Textil: https://textil.grs-pro.de/ [https://textil.grs-pro.de/] Revised Waste Framework Directive: https://environment.ec.europa.eu/news/revised-waste-framework-directive-enters-force-2025-10-16_en [https://environment.ec.europa.eu/news/revised-waste-framework-directive-enters-force-2025-10-16_en] Africa Collect Textiles: https://africacollecttextiles.com/ [https://africacollecttextiles.com/] One-page Summary Sign-up for the Circularity.fm Newsletter and get a summary with the take-aways of this episode. Register here: https://circularity.fm/episode/textile-epr-in-germany-what-brands-need-to-know/ [https://circularity.fm/episode/textile-epr-in-germany-what-brands-need-to-know/]

Best Startups in Critical Raw Materials & Automated Disassembly

IFAT Munich 2026 Which startups are solving Europe’s two key circular economy challenges: automated disassembly and critical raw materials recovery? This episode covers the Circular Technology Award, launched by Circular Republic and Knorr-Bremse, to back startups working in both fields. Matthias Ballweg, co-founder of Circular Republic, and Oliver Klug, Chief Strategy and Transformation Officer at Knorr-Bremse, explain why they created the award, what they learned from the applicants, and why they paired prize money with proof-of-concept partnerships instead of funding alone. What you’ll hear in this episode: • Why automated disassembly is finally viable, and what the robots can now do that they couldn’t five years ago. • How two very different approaches recover critical raw materials in Europe: hydrogen to reclaim rare earth magnets, and low-temperature salts to pull metals from electronic scrap. • What corporates like Knorr-Bremse look for before adopting a startup’s technology. The four winning startups then present what they’ve built: Xavier Kohll from R3 Robotics and Tomaso Manca from Hiro Robotics winners in automated disassembly, Carlo Burkhardt from HyProMag and Fred White from DEScycle winners in critical raw materials recovery. This is the final episode of the IFAT Munich 2026 series, recorded live at the fair. People Matthias Ballweg, Co-Founder, Circular Republic https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthias-ballweg/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthias-ballweg/] Oliver Klug, Chief Strategy & Transformation Officer, Knorr-Bremse https://www.linkedin.com/in/oliver-klug-932650148/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/oliver-klug-932650148/] Patrick Hypscher, Circular Business Strategist, PaaS Expert https://www.linkedin.com/in/hypscher/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/hypscher/] Chapters 00:00 Introduction 01:22 The Circular Technology Award 02:03 Why automated disassembly and critical raw materials 03:56 What the applicant pool showed 05:52 Who is Knorr-Bremse 06:39 Why Knorr-Bremse joined the award 08:07 A proof-of-concept, not just prize money 10:51 R3 Robotics: robotic disassembly 14:09 Hiro Robotics: rethinking electronics disassembly 18:16 Descycle: recovering metals from e-waste 21:53 HyProMag: recycling rare-earth magnets 25:51 Closing and what is next About IFAT is the world’s leading trade fair network for environmental technologies. It focuses on water, wastewater, waste, recycling and circularity, bringing together companies, innovators and industry professionals to present solutions for resource efficiency and sustainable infrastructure. IFAT Munich is the flagship event of that network and the most important meeting place for the sector. It takes place every two years in Munich and showcases technologies and services for water, wastewater, waste and raw materials management, with the 2026 edition featuring around 3,400 exhibitors from about 60 countries. Further Links Knorr-Bremse Circular Technology Award: https://www.circular-republic.org/award/ [https://www.circular-republic.org/award/] IFAT: https://ifat.de/en/ [https://ifat.de/en/] Circular Republic: https://www.circular-republic.org [https://www.circular-republic.org] UnternehmerTUM: https://www.unternehmertum.de [https://www.unternehmertum.de] Knorr-Bremse: https://www.knorr-bremse.com/en/ [https://www.knorr-bremse.com/en/] One-page Summary Sign-up for the Circularity.fm Newsletter and get a summary with the take-aways of this episode. Register here: https://circularity.fm/episode/best-startups-in-critical-raw-materials-automated-disassembly/ [https://circularity.fm/episode/best-startups-in-critical-raw-materials-automated-disassembly/]