Textile EPR in Germany: What Brands Need to Know
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.
Video Impression
People
Jelica Ramirez,Program Manager at GRS PRO
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jelicaramirez/
Lisa Oelze, Business Development Manager Circular Textile, Messe München
https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisaoelze/
Patrick Hypscher, Circular Business Strategist, PaaS Expert
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/
GRS PRO Textil: 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
Africa Collect Textiles: https://africacollecttextiles.com/
Transcript
[00:00:00] Intro
Patrick Hypscher: Hey everyone and welcome back to the brand new series on circularity.fm. In the next five episodes, we will cover the topic of textiles. In 2025, the European Parliament changed the Waste Framework Directive. It now asks the member states to set up an extended producer responsibility scheme for textiles and footwear. And this is for a good reason. The textile industry has a significant footprint. Some of you might be familiar with EPR systems, others not so much. This series will unpack this. We start with an introduction from Lisa Oelze, Program Manager at Messe München, in charge of the IFAT. Together with Circular Republic, Messe München organized an expert session on textile EPR at this year’s IFAT. This was a helpful platform to understand the topic and discuss the different implications with various experts and stakeholders. Let’s get right into it.
[00:01:44] Meet Lisa Oelze: what IFAT is
Patrick Hypscher: Lisa, we just finished. We finished the IFAT Explore and Connect on textiles, and we kick off here a series fully dedicated to textiles. But before we talk for hours on textiles, let’s first talk about IFAT. So maybe there are people out there that don’t know IFAT. What is IFAT?
Lisa Oelze: Yeah, well, that’s a long story now. IFAT started 1966, 60 years ago, with 150 exhibitors as a wastewater show. But now we are talking about the world’s leading environmental technology show. It’s 3,400 exhibitors, 60 countries exhibiting. It’s a record for us. Wow. And makes it obvious that this topic is not old-fashioned.
Patrick Hypscher: Yeah, wonderful. Why did you pick the topic of textiles for a masterclass?
Lisa Oelze: Yeah. Two years ago, definitely, we already discussed what kind of spotlight we should have. We always have spotlight areas. Last time it was plastic recycling. But you could feel at the last show that there’s something, there’s so many question marks, something going up, some regulations from European Union. And that there needs to be some room. It’s not the waste stream that is the most, yeah, where’s the loop closed. It’s the one where the most changing things are coming. So we thought we need room for discussions. And this is why we have two spotlight areas. And besides that, we started the masterclass.
[00:03:18] IFAT’s role and the masterclass
Patrick Hypscher: Okay, wonderful. How do you see the role of IFAT? I always think it’s a challenging tension because you’re not so much subject matter experts, but you need to be in order also to craft a great experience for the exhibitors to visitors. So how do you contribute as IFAT and then also Lisa to the conversation?
Lisa Oelze: Yeah, so I’m part of the IFAT team since 2011, so I’m not an expert, but the good thing is that we have really good partnerships and really knowledge partners, and they suggest topics, and then we discuss what kind of topics we should take. Besides that, IFAT plays a role. Yeah, of course, the cool thing is you can really see technology here. I mean, there’s a lot of conferences, you can go there, and then of course you can deep dive there. But here you can discuss and you can touch it. You can see it. That’s a benefit of a trade show. You meet people. And our role is not to be only an exhibition anymore. 70% of the visitors are coming to IFAT because they want to attend the conference program. Reason why is also because we have half of the visitors coming are like from municipalities. So they need a reason why to come to IFAT, not only for like commercial reasons, but also to get some more knowledge. So it’s really important for us to have really a good conference program and to offer this benefit. And that’s why we also have, we have not only the exhibition, we have really the orange stage, the blue stage, the green stage. And what changed within the last sixty years is that we started as a show for municipalities and now the topics like water, sewage, waste, recycling, circular economy, they are in the heart of everything in the discussion everywhere. And so we need to really help other industries to understand what they can find here, because IFAT is so big, people are lost. And that was the reason to create the masterclass, because we thought, okay, this is an industry that doesn’t know IFAT. They just get in touch with it. And they need some more exchange and they need this kind of protected room really to get into it in the topic. That’s why.
Patrick Hypscher: Wonderful. Let’s follow that direction and dive into the topic with Jelica on textiles. Thank you, Lisa.
Lisa Oelze: Yeah, you’re welcome.
[00:05:55] Meet Jelica: GRS PRO
Patrick Hypscher: Jelica, as Lisa just explained, we’re here to talk about textiles in an explore and connect manner. You’re from GRS PRO. First of all, what brings you here to this topic personally, and what is GRS PRO doing?
Jelica: It’s really nice being here. Just to summarize what is a PRO or what is GRS PRO. GRS PRO is a producer responsibility organization and we support suppliers or brands when it comes on the obligation on the EPR system or extended producer responsibility. So the finance comes from the producers and the operation comes from the PRO side.
Patrick Hypscher: Okay, and GRS PRO already has some experience in other industries?
Jelica: Exactly. We are already operating as PRO for over 25 years in the battery sector. This experience we are now transferring in the textile industry with GRS PRO Textile.
Patrick Hypscher: Is your personal background more in PRO or textile?
Jelica: Not exactly, actually. My background started or rooted more strongly in the textile industry supply chain. So I started my professional career as from product development, production side, and quality management. So I quite seen different side of the textiles industry, right? Production, produce a lot of fashion textiles in Asia, China, Turkey. So after that, over the time, my focus shifted towards more sustainability and circularity because I saw, I have seen the background. So what many actually don’t recognize or not have the possibility to see it.
Patrick Hypscher: Okay, you saw the pains and the gains.
Jelica: I see everything. I saw everything. And when my shift towards textile circularity started, I decided to learn about the textile waste management. And I’ve worked for a sustainability manager and recycling manager for SOEX and iCollect. In the past, SOEX was actually the big player when it comes to sorting, collection, and recovery of used textiles. And due to the final situation globally regarding this area, I decided to leave SOEX. And then in last summer, I started as business development manager for GRS PRO Textile.
[00:08:27] What textile EPR changes
Patrick Hypscher: Okay. And now we’re here. Of course, as you already also explained or demonstrated circularity, it has been a topic in textiles already since decades. Also, let’s say basic practices of reusing, so giving clothes to friends and stuff like that. I mean, all this more in the informal sector has been existent, but now we get some boost from the European Commission, at least in Europe. So can you just help us a bit what’s happening now and what’s the aim of the upcoming regulation in Europe and Germany?
Jelica: My pleasure. Regulation is a very important topic in the textiles industry right now, especially the extended producer responsibility, so the EPR. They already set the direction, right? We will have a change, and especially when it comes to the building the infrastructure, that means collection, sorting, and recovery of used textiles. We will have the financial support for this infrastructure so we can build the circular economy, so we can actually collect the textile waste, go it to the sorting area, and then it’s provided to the reuse part or the recycling part. So this is important because right now the textile industry doesn’t have that and the EPR gives the opportunity to support that financially. So it creates the foundation for the infrastructure, what we really, really need for the upcoming EPR system across Europe. All the member states are now planning to implement the EPR system. So and there has basically been a European directive that was accepted last year. Exactly, this is a waste framework directive and it’s include the EPR system, and now, since the Waste Framework Directive also included the separate collection, it is an important part to become more circular in the textile industry to give the possibility. It shouldn’t end in a regular disposal bins, it should be recovered for the recycling parts. So that is why the separate collection is important. And the EPR is focused on the textiles, footwear and home textile parts. So it will cover us or it will force brands or producer to be being responsible for the entire life of end of life files for the product and even far beyond that. So it’s actually shift responsibility away from the municipalities and consumer and place it where design and volume decision are made, so by the producers.
[00:11:23] Germany’s open questions and competitive PROs
Patrick Hypscher: Okay. And now, as we are talking in spring 2026, we are in this in-between state. The European Commission defined the direction, as you just explained, and now it’s up to the Member States to implement the specific national EPR systems and configure that. Can you give us a bit of an overview? What are the essential open questions that need to be decided now by the Member States?
Jelica: Well, between the Member States, of course, I think it’s important because Brussels sets the goal of harmonized EPR system. So we have to see what member is developing under their national law. When it comes to the German law, for example, in the Textiles Act, there are some issues are still remaining open, for example, the fee structure, eco-modulation standards, or how to register their product, or how many PROs, will it be more competitive way in Germany, we will see we will having a competitive EPR system. But how many will it be and what are the standards for that?
Patrick Hypscher: When you say competitive EPR system, what does that mean?
Jelica: There are, for example, comparing to Refashion, it’s a monopole. France, it’s a monopole, it’s Refashion. And in Germany, producers have the freedom or the flexibility to choose the PRO that they are working with, right? So because there are several PROs that there are already positioning themselves in the market so it will be competitive. So we’re trying best as possible to harmonize, but in Germany, as you mentioned, we are still in the between phase. We don’t know what’s the law is actually really looking in the final station, so we see the way, the direction, but we cannot finalize everything from the operation side on that.
[00:13:28] The race-to-the-bottom risk
Patrick Hypscher: Okay, and when we have this competitive PRO system, there are opinions or arguments that basically say there is a risk of a race to the bottom that manufacturers opt for a PRO provider that has a more favorable, commercially more favorable fee structure with leaving circularity ambitions aside. So I guess this is also up to debate right now, but do you already see approaches how to prevent that from happening?
Jelica: Of course, the government needs to set the rules, the regulation, right? But a competitive EPR has also a good side in this regarding when it comes to transparency, traceability, because the producer itself mentioned that they want to be more responsible if they have to finance the infrastructure or the innovation that it will need to be more circular, they want also to know where the investment is really going, right? And if you have a monopole system, you quite have just limited on the reporting side and the competitive EPR scheme is more motivated to be more transparent, also motivated to adapt to improve the system, improve the partnership, and always improve the operation. So that’s the good side. Of course, there’s always a downside of everything, but we should focus more on the good side of EPR.
[00:15:01] Africa and the cross-border gap
Patrick Hypscher: Okay, and to all the listeners, we are now in the first episode of the series, and we will definitely also have a deep dive on eco-modulation because it’s so crucial in the design of the EPR system to actually set the incentives in a right way. Jelica, my last question, we talked about different member states on the European Union. At the same time, the textiles industry is a pretty international one. You already explained it based on your history. And some listeners who listened to the series last year in Kenya might remember the conversation with African Collect Textiles about global EPR systems, basically saying that they have the challenge that Europe is shipping containers of secondhand clothes to Africa. And this is declared a secondhand, while at the same time when they open it, they say, oh, well, quite a lot of that is actually not usable anymore and is waste. So they need to build up the infrastructure for recycling in Africa, but don’t really get the funds from the EPR system from your question? Or is it somehow addressed that there is some international flow of EPR fees that follows a bit the flow of the actual flow of the textiles?
Jelica: Well, this is actually a very important subject, but my answer would be when it comes to the EPR finance infrastructure of non-EU countries, it’s actually not addressed on the regulation right now because the EPR is focusing on the regional infrastructure that we are here building in Europe and also having in Europe. So it should just finance our, financing our infrastructure, cross-border responsibility due to the EPR system is actually not addressed. I think, for us as an industry, we need to find another solution, right? The solution is also not just stopping, sending, reuse, or second-hand products to Africa or to Asia because they are relying on the business of the second hand. Of course, we just have to need more quality control when it comes to sorting and also to export. The Waste Framework Directive set already the ban of shipping the textile waste to developing countries, so it’s one step. But I think it will also set a different way when it comes to new business models, maybe some sorters and collectors are much more attractive to keep everything here in Germany or in Europe because the EPR is supporting new business models, the upcycling business, repairability, or any kind of circular business models. Maybe there will be a shift on that as well. But as mentioned, cross-border responsibility, it’s not addressed right now. So we have to find another solution to support Africa or Asian countries, because they don’t have the waste management that we have, but the waste that we’re creating or buying products ends up there, so I think we also have to start, us as consumers, to think about our behavior on consumption, so do we actually need more clothes or do I prefer more reused secondhand clothes? And where does it come from? So I think we also have to address the consumer side, the consumer awareness.
[00:18:41] What brands should do now
Patrick Hypscher: Yeah, many, many challenges. You’re kind of an insider and an outsider. What would be your recommendation to brands? What are the important topics to look at in these times of uncertainty a bit from a regulatory point of view?
Jelica: I always suggest when getting in touch with brands, start preparation regarding being compliant. So preparation means get in touch with PRO because we are directly involved. GRS PRO Textile is very closely involved in the regulation development in Germany. We are also having closely discussion or exchange with other PROs from other existing France, Netherlands, so we can actually provide some knowledge updates on the developing across Europe, so they can start preparation, collecting data. They can check their supply chain system and they can also address the rules within the organization because someone has to own the topic, finance, legal, compliance or sustainability and they should start. They can start right now.
Patrick Hypscher: Jelica, thanks a lot for these insights and for the overview and your support for helping the textile community to become more circular.
Jelica: Thank you so much. Happy to be here.
[00:20:06] Outro
Patrick Hypscher: This was the first episode in our textile EPR series. In the next episode, we will hear the producer’s perspective shared by Philipp Bonaventura from Schöffel. Thanks for tuning in. Sign up to the newsletter to get the key learnings from this conversation. Good luck with driving a profitable circular economy. And please don’t forget, the most abundant renewable resource is your imagination.
