SOLSTICE's Territory Profile: Prato

The global textile industry is only 0.3% circular, with over 99% of its 3.25 billion tonnes of annual material use coming from virgin sources. Fibre consumption per capita has nearly doubled since 1975 and continues to rise, while most discarded textiles are still landfilled or incinerated. This unsustainable system drives severe environmental and social impacts. The circular economy offers a pathway forward through strategies like reduce, reuse, repair, and recycle.

The SOLSTICE project, funded by the EU’s Horizon Europe programme, aims to tackle the textile industry’s challenges by piloting circular solutions in Berlin, Grenoble, Catalonia, and Prato. In collaboration with local partners, Circle Economy conducted a comprehensive analysis of each territory’s textile ecosystem—covering material flows, employment, consumer behaviour, and environmental impact—to guide tailored circular interventions.

Prato is a European leader in mechanical wool recycling and accounts for around 3% of the continent’s textile production. Despite this strength, the city faces challenges in traceability, data availability, and low engagement with second-hand and repair services. While over 40,000 people are employed in textile manufacturing, circular jobs remain limited. High accessibility to circular services is offset by cultural stigma and cost concerns. Prato’s textile flows generate an estimated 650,000 tonnes of CO₂e annually, underscoring the need to reduce consumption and scale proven circular practices.