The European Commission has opened a new €10 million funding call designed to help cities and regions build practical systems that keep clothing in use for longer. The programme, launched under the Circular Cities and Regions Initiative (CCRI), is focused on accelerating EU textile reuse and repair by backing projects that can be designed, tested and proven in real local conditions.
The CCRI is supported through Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe and is intended to help public authorities move beyond small pilots toward solutions that can be replicated at scale. According to the EU Funding Portal, successful proposals should deliver “high-impact strategies” that extend textile lifespans, reduce demand for virgin resources and cut waste generation.
The Commission is signalling that the priority is not simply better recycling, but a shift up the waste hierarchy. Projects may include improved collection and sorting models, with an emphasis on channelling textiles into repair and reuse pathways before recycling or disposal are considered. In practice, that could mean redesigning municipal collection routes, creating new sorting capacity, or building partnerships that allow usable items and repairable products to be identified earlier.
Digital tools are also expected to play a role. The call highlights opportunities to apply digital and AI technologies to sorting, and to support the rollout of Digital Product Passports. These passports are intended to improve product transparency and help ensure repaired items remain affordable by reducing uncertainty around composition, care and parts compatibility.
The Commission also wants proposals to address upstream incentives that make repair easier. That includes work to encourage manufacturers to provide spare parts and offer longer guarantees measures that can improve reparability and strengthen the economic case for repair businesses.
Local engagement is framed as essential. Authorities are encouraged to co-design strategies with citizens, social enterprises and upcycling companies, embedding reuse and repair into community-level services rather than treating them as niche options. The programme also encourages collaboration across the value chain, including manufacturers, retailers, small repair operators and social enterprises, to create joined-up systems for EU textile reuse and repair.
Eligibility for the call is broad. Any legal entity can apply, regardless of location, provided applicants meet the requirements set out in the Horizon Europe Regulation and other criteria listed on the funding portal. Applicants are expected to use inclusive methods, including sensitivity to gender and structured stakeholder participation, and to connect their work to the CCRI Coordination and Support Office and related EU activities.
Proposals must also include rigorous evaluation of feasibility and impact. The call encourages methods such as life-cycle assessment, supported by economic, environmental and social data, to demonstrate whether the solutions are scalable and deliver measurable benefits.
The funding call aligns with multiple EU policy tracks, including the European Green Deal, the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation, the forthcoming Circular Economy Act and the single market strategy for sustainable products. It also ties into the Waste Framework Directive and the evolving textiles Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) agenda, with the Commission positioning the initiative as a catalyst for structural change, regional innovation, and the growth of start-ups and scale-ups working in circular textiles.
