Retur launches new producer responsibility organisation for textiles

Retur is expanding its family of producer responsibility organisations with Tekstilretur. Tekstilretur will help the Danish textile and fashion industry manage the upcoming producer responsibility requirements and help realise the significant potential for increasing textile recycling. The new organisation is being established as part of a strategic partnership with Dansk Mode & Textil.

Press release April 15th 2026

In autumn 2025, while Denmark was fully engaged in implementing producer responsibility for packaging, the EU formalised the legislative framework for the next major extended producer responsibility, covering textiles and footwear. The new producer responsibility is expected to be implemented in June 2027 and become operational in April 2028.

The producer responsibility for textiles covers all companies (including international webshops) that make textile or footwear products available on a national market, and just as with other producer responsibility organisations, companies will be responsible for financing the handling of products when they become waste.

According to the Danish Environmental Protection Agency, there are approximately 10,500 companies in Denmark working with the manufacturing and sale of textiles, and a minimum of 4,000 of these are expected to be directly covered by the producer responsibility. To assist these companies, Retur, Denmark’s largest family of collective organisations, is now launching the new organisation, Tekstilretur.

“As we already operate four other producer responsibility organisations, we have a well-tested setup both administratively and logistically, and Tekstilretur will become an integrated part of this. We are welcoming companies now, because experience shows that the earlier a company actively engages with an upcoming producer responsibility, the simpler and less costly it becomes for them to meet the requirements,” says Morten Harboe-Jepsen, CEO of Tekstilretur, which is part of Retur.

DM&T AND RETUR IN STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP

Retur is built on over 20 years of experience in managing producer responsibility. Most recently, the organisation established Emballageretur, which on behalf of thousands of companies manages the producer responsibility for packaging. One of the key lessons from this is that a well-functioning producer responsibility requires the industry to be closely involved from the start. It is this experience that has been decisive in how Tekstilretur came to be.

As part of the establishment, a strategic partnership has therefore been entered into between Retur and the industry organisation Dansk Mode & Textil (DM&T). Beyond advisory input and knowledge-sharing, the partnership includes DM&T receiving a seat on the Tekstilretur board, as well as Retur and DM&T participating in international collaborations and joint projects, including the EU Textile PRO Forum and Nordic PRO.

“There is no doubt that producer responsibility will significantly transform the fashion and textile industry. It is therefore crucial that the industry is engaged from the outset, which is why we are incredibly pleased about the strategic partnership with Retur, which has years of experience in managing producer responsibility in close collaboration with various industries. We are confident this will benefit the entire industry and make it easier for individual companies to manage when the producer responsibility for textiles is to be implemented and made operational,” says Marie Busck, Chief Sustainability Officer at Dansk Mode & Textil.

SIGNIFICANT POTENTIAL FOR RECYCLING

As part of preparations for the extended producer responsibility for textiles, the Danish Environmental Protection Agency produced an analysis in 2023. It shows that there is significant potential for increasing the recycling of textiles in Denmark and thereby creating a more sustainable future for the industry.

In 2021, 116,300 tonnes of textiles were placed on the Danish market, equivalent to approximately 20 kg per Dane.

The Agency’s analysis also shows that Danish textile consumption rose by 36% between 2016 and 2021.

In 2021, there was no requirement for collection, and only 2,000 tonnes of textile waste were collected separately for recycling, and far too much textile waste in Denmark still ends up being incinerated or processed at low value, for uses such as insulation material.

“With the introduction of a producer responsibility, the industry has the opportunity to accelerate sustainable development, because the effort is shared collectively. We have seen with producer responsibility for electronics, for example, that both product reuse and material recycling can be increased considerably when the scale of the effort can be expanded within producer responsibility organisations. If we establish a solid Danish model that is operational and not burdened by bureaucracy, we can achieve significant results within a few years,” says Morten Harboe-Jepsen.

AVOIDING UNILATERAL APPROACHES AND FREE-RIDERS

Exactly how the producer responsibility for textiles will be structured in Denmark has not yet been finalised. There are therefore many unresolved elements with regard to the final organisation.

Retur is awaiting the upcoming consultation draft, but according to Morten Harboe-Jepsen, it will be crucial that Denmark does not go it alone but harmonises as far as possible with EU standards for, for example, fee graduation, documentation and reporting.

“There are many good lessons from the existing producer responsibility organisations that we hope will also inform the producer responsibility for textiles. There are also some pitfalls that should ideally be avoided. For example, we must ensure effective regulatory enforcement and a system that can curb free-riders who do not voluntarily take on their share of the responsibility. We look forward to receiving the Environmental Protection Agency’s consultation draft, and we will work closely with our members and the textile industry to provide constructive feedback that reflects the perspectives of businesses and ensures a pragmatic model for producer responsibility,” says Morten Harboe-Jepsen, CEO of Tekstilretur.

FACTS ABOUT TEKSTILRETUR AND PRODUCER RESPONSIBILITY FOR TEXTILES

• Tekstilretur is the newest collective organisation in the Retur family and is launched on 15 April 2026.
• Tekstilretur is built on 20 years of experience in managing producer responsibility in Denmark.
• Tekstilretur shares common functions and expertise with its sister organisations Batteriretur, Elretur, Emballageretur and Fiskeriretur.
• Producer responsibility for textiles is expected to be implemented in June 2027 and become operational in April 2028.
• A minimum of 4,000 companies are expected to be covered by the producer responsibility.
• In 2021, 116,000 tonnes of textiles were placed on the Danish market.
• Textile consumption in Denmark rose by 36% between 2016 and 2021.
• In 2021, before separate textile waste collection became mandatory in Denmark, only around 2,000 tonnes of textiles were collected annually for recycling.
• Membership of Tekstilretur is free and the commitment period is short, until the producer responsibility is implemented.
• Retur has already entered into agreements with several companies to manage their producer responsibility.
• Tekstilretur is working with Dansk Mode & Textil to ensure a strong organisation for the entire sector, and there is room for additional interest and professional organisations in the partnership.

FACTS ABOUT RETUR

Retur is Denmark’s largest family of producer responsibility organisations and helps companies comply with their statutory producer responsibility in Denmark. Retur consists of the producer responsibility organisations Elretur, Emballageretur, Batteriretur, Fiskeriretur and Tekstilretur. Together they cover producer responsibility for electronics, packaging, batteries, fishing gear and textiles.

Through the producer responsibility organisations, Retur supports thousands of companies in managing their products and packaging when they become waste, from registration and reporting to practical handling. The aim is to ensure maximum reuse and recycling, as well as environmentally sound disposal when reuse is not possible.

Retur operates on a non-profit basis and is built on more than 20 years of experience with producer responsibility in practice. The organisation has access to specialised expertise and participates in collaborations with Nordic and European collective organisations focused on supporting a more circular economy.

In 2025, Retur established, in partnership with HJHansen Recycling, Denmark’s first reuse facility for electronics, Electronic Reuse and Recycling, with a focus on reuse and preparing electronic products for further recycling. Retur is also behind the information campaign “F*cker med batterierne” (Messing with batteries) featuring actress Bodil Jørgensen.

FACTS ABOUT DANSK MODE & TEXTIL

Dansk Mode & Textil, known in everyday speech as DM&T, represents the entire Danish fashion, textile and lifestyle industry, a cornerstone of Danish business life that contributes 87 billion DKK annually to Denmark’s GDP and helps create 96,000 jobs.

DM&T is the voice of the industry and focuses on creating the optimal framework conditions for the Danish lifestyle industry, including sport, fashion, jewellery and textiles. DM&T has been the natural focal point of the industry since 1895 and is today a modern industry and employer organisation with deep insight into the everyday lives of its members and the challenges the industry faces in both the short and long term.

Our experts provide daily advice to more than 800 member companies on a number of business-critical matters, and DM&T leads the way in strengthening and developing both individual companies and the industry as a whole.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT: Camilla Falkenberg, Press and Communications Officer at Retur and Emballageretur, mobile +45 43 14 08 94 or email cf@retur.dk.

Visit: www.tekstilretur.dk Visit: www.dmogt.dk Visit: Analysis, Economic and Environmental Consequences of Introducing an Extended Producer Responsibility for Textile Producers, Danish Environmental Protection Agency, 2023: https://mst.dk/publikationer/2023/april/analyse-af-oekonomiske-og-miljoemaessige-konsekvenser-ved-at-indfoere-et-udvidet-producentansvar-for-tekstilproducenter