The Spanish non-profit association Re-Viste and the Spanish Retail Textile Association (ARTE) signed a cooperation agreement in September 2026 to jointly promote the transition of the textile, fashion and footwear industry toward a circular economy. Re-Viste is committed to establishing a collective Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) system (SCRAP) in the textile and footwear sector in Spain; ARTE's members include Inditex, Mango, Primark and other companies.

Key points

  • Re-Viste is responsible for designing the collective textile and footwear EPR collection system, while ARTE represents retail giants such as Inditex, Mango and Primark; the two parties signed the cooperation agreement in September 2026.
  • Cooperation priorities include digitalization, training in new technologies, industry innovation research, and connecting with scientific research institutions to help companies comply and optimize the management of products after end-of-life.
  • The two parties will promote prevention and reuse in line with the waste management hierarchy, and only encourage materials to return to new production processes when reuse is not possible.

This alliance combines Re-Viste's experience in designing collective collection systems for textiles and footwear with ARTE's industry knowledge and representativeness in the textile trade. According to a statement released by both parties, the framework of the agreement will allow the two organizations to exchange information, identify common challenges, and launch relevant actions under the framework of extended producer responsibility obligations, helping companies move toward a more circular, more innovative and more competitive value chain.

Specific areas of cooperation include knowledge exchange, as well as research and action around digitalization, training in new technologies and innovation in industry applications. The agreement also proposes cooperation with research and innovation centers to find compliance solutions for member companies and optimize the management of textile and footwear products after end-of-life.

On management principles, the two associations will promote practices consistent with the waste management hierarchy, prioritizing prevention, reuse and extending product lifespan; when reuse is not feasible, they will encourage materials to re-enter new production processes as much as possible.

Juan Ramón Meléndez, General Manager of Re-Viste, said that circularity in textiles and footwear "requires collaboration and a shared vision across the entire value chain," noting that the agreement will prompt both parties to share knowledge, identify common needs, and drive progress in helping companies with front-end prevention, reuse and recycling.

Ana López Casero, President of ARTE, emphasized that the circularity goals of the fashion industry are "extremely ambitious." She said that ARTE's companies are in direct contact with millions of consumers every day, which puts them in an advantageous position to generate knowledge, promote more responsible consumption habits, and help build a true circular culture around textiles and footwear.

This alliance means that the implementation of EPR for textiles and footwear in Spain has entered a stage of industry collaboration: the production side and the retail side are aligning regulatory obligations, end-of-life management and consumer communication under the same framework, and member companies' compliance pathways and end-of-life product handling solutions will become more actionable.

Source: Alliance of Re-Viste and ARTE for textile circularity · Originally published on 2026-09-29