CHANGING FASHION, LASTING WASTE - How local textile waste management is impacted by EU legislation

Abstract

This thesis studies how the division of responsibilities between local actors are impacted by the 2018 EU waste directive amendment. The amendment stipulates that specific separation and subsequent collection of textile waste should be undertaken by the Member states to combat the increased levels of textile waste, as one measure in the EU’s goal to promote a more circular economy. Previously, textile waste has mainly been handled and collected by non-state actors. The waste directive amendment thus begs the question: How do EU legislation impact local textile recycling management? By using the theory of Multi-level governance, textile waste legislation and management is analysed, to gain insights on how EU, national, and local requirements have impacted the division of responsibilities in local textile waste management. Three concepts derived from the theory is operationalized using a coding frame built on qualitative content analysis, which is applied to empirical data from both document analysis and semi-structured respondent interviews. The thesis shows little to no impact upon local textile recycling management caused by EU legislation. But this thesis does showcase difficulties that can arise during implementation, and advances new questions related to textile waste management.