TexBoard™ Position Paper on the EU Circular Economy Act

Setting the Stage

At Dornbirn Global Fiber Congress (GFC 2025), TexBoard™ not only introduced Fiber Alchemy as a breakthrough material pathway, but also presented our Position Paper on the EU Circular Economy Act (CEA).

The Circular Economy Act is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to remove barriers, harmonise rules, and turn Europe’s waste streams into valuable resources. For textiles, this means unlocking pathways beyond fibre-to-fibre recycling — creating structural boards, acoustic panels, and circular materials that reduce CO₂, lower wood dependency, and support Europe’s deforestation-free goals .

Executive Summary

• Large volumes of post-consumer textile waste are not suitable for fibre-to-fibre recycling and end up incinerated, landfilled, or exported.

• Innovative solutions like TexBoard™ prove that these fractions can be converted into high-value materials such as panels, furniture, or acoustic elements.

• The Circular Economy Act offers a unique chance to scale such pathways across the EU.

• Key asks:

  
  

  1. EU-wide End-of-Waste criteria

  2. Recognition of open-loop recycling in EPR

  3. Green Public Procurement criteria

  4. Scale-up incentives for SMEs

  
  

Our Four Policy Recommendations

1. EU-wide End-of-Waste Criteria

Establish harmonised EU rules for textile-based composites (boards, panels) so they are treated as materials, not waste.

2. Recognition of Open-Loop Recycling in EPR

Credit pathways like textiles → boards in Extended Producer Responsibility schemes. This allows brands, PROs, and SMEs to cooperate on innovative solutions .

3. Embed Innovation in Green Public Procurement (GPP)

Require public projects (schools, libraries, housing) to use verified secondary-textile materials. Municipal pilots can normalize adoption and reduce risk perception.

4. Scale-Up Incentives

Provide CAPEX/OPEX support for plants using >50% secondary textile feedstock. Create regional hubs to accelerate adoption .

Sustainability & Business Impact

• CO₂ Reduction: replacing virgin particleboard reduces embodied emissions.

• Resource Efficiency: maximises yield from mixed textiles, reduces water & land use.

• Deforestation Impact: reduces dependency on virgin timber.

• Market Potential: scalable, cost-competitive, SME-friendly .

TexBoard™ Use Case

TexBoard™ is one SME innovator already turning post-consumer textiles into engineered panels.

Our case illustrates how EU-level policy can unlock new industrial pathways from currently non-recyclable fractions .

Download the Full Position Paper

📄 [Download the Position Paper on the EU Circular Economy Act (PDF)]

Closing Statement

Europe’s textile waste challenge can be turned into a strategic opportunity. By aligning innovation with policy, we can make hard-to-recycle textiles part of the EU’s deforestation-free, circular economy future.