Every year on the 7th the United Nations commemorates the International day of clean air for blue skies. This day recognizes the importance of clean air in the lives of people and the urgency to reduce the deaths and illnesses that are caused by hazardous chemicals and air, water, and soil pollution and contamination by 2030. The theme for this year is “ The Air we share” which looks at the necessity for collective accountability and action. Additionally, it calls attention to the need for immediate international and regional cooperation for the productive implementation of policies that mitigate and tackle air pollution. At CircoAX we strive to boost the circular economy and sustainable strategies that tackle pollution caused by the fashion and textile industry.
Air pollution has caused major problems in health and the climate. On health, small particles of these pollutants enter the lungs and bloodstream of the body which has caused one-third of deaths from stroke, chronic respiratory disease, and lung cancer. According to the UN, approximately 6.5 million premature deaths across the world are caused by outdoor and indoor air pollution. Likewise the EU recorded that 300,000 premature deaths are caused by fine particulate matter. The demographic that is greatly affected by this are women, children and elderly people who come from low-income backgrounds.
The European parliament reported that the fashion industry contributes up to 10% of global emissions. Moreover, the European Environment Agency reported in 2017 that the EU textile purchases made accumulated up to 654kg of CO2 emissions per person. In order to tackle textile waste in the EU in February 2021, the European Parliament created a new resolution on the New Circular Economy Action Plan: towards zero pollution for air, water, and soil. The objectives are to reduce the level of harm caused by pollution and improve the overall health and natural ecosystems that are beneficial for our planet.
In the textile industry, the European Commission purposes to have a greener and more competitive sector that is resistant to global shocks. The vision for textiles in 2030 is to ensure that all products that are on the EU market can be repaired and recycled. This strategy is setting action by empowering the consumer to tackle greenwashing and holding companies accountable, boosting circularity and overall creating a better environment.
At Circoax by CircularInnoBooster, we seek to transform the fashion and textile industry into sustainable circular regenerative ones as well as foster innovative production processes, that reduce high levels of pollution.
