Government of Canada invests in Canadian innovators to reduce textile and plastic waste and promote circular economy $662,161 in funding to support Fashion Takes Action Français
TORONTO, March 13, 2025 /CNW/ - Plastics are widely used in the fashion industry, with synthetic textiles like polyester and nylon contributing to waste and pollution. Unsustainable practices and mismanagement lead to textile and plastic waste ending up in our landfills and plastic pollution in our communities, rivers, lakes, and oceans. Synthetic textiles also pollute the environment by shedding small plastic pieces, called microfibres, during regular wear and tear and through laundry.
Today, the Honourable Nate Erskine-Smith, Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities and Member of Parliament for Beaches—East York, and Julie Dabrusin, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources and Member of Parliament for Toronto—Danforth, re-announced on behalf of the Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change, $662,161 in funding for the Fashion Takes Action's project to mobilize experts, industry, non-profit organizations, and Canadians, through the newly established Canadian Circular Textiles Consortium. This forum will connect sector-relevant experts and key players—including manufacturers, retailers, recyclers, and end users from across Canada—to collaborate, share information, and discuss projects related to circular textiles.
The Canadian Circular Textiles Consortium supports policy design, development of standards for circularity, and improvement of education outreach, among other things. As part of this project, Fashion Takes Action will also conduct research on textile waste from industrial, commercial, and institutional facilities, as well as research into fabric-scrap textile waste, which will include a collection and sorting pilot project in the Greater Toronto Area. All in all, this project will help reduce duplication of resources and foster partnerships among stakeholders who share a vision of a new circular textile economy for Canada.
In 2024, the Government of Canada invested over $3.3 million in funding to support Canadian organizations that are developing innovative and targeted solutions to address plastic waste and pollution.
This project is part of the Government of Canada's comprehensive plan to reduce plastic waste and pollution and move toward a circular economy across the plastics lifecycle through a range of complementary actions.
Quotes
"We are fully committed to ending plastic waste and pollution in Canada, but we cannot do this alone. I applaud Fashion Takes Action's commitment to bring stakeholders from across the country together to reduce textile and plastic waste. By working together, we can create a cleaner, healthier future for everyone while keeping plastics in the economy and out of the environment."
– The Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change
"Textile waste is a challenge, but with leadership from organizations like Fashion Takes Action, we're bringing industry, innovators, and communities together to build real, scalable solutions for a more sustainable future."
– The Honourable Nate Erskine-Smith, Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities and Member of Parliament for Beaches—East York
"Fast fashion, clothing, and plastic waste are major challenges—about 98% of plastic textile waste ends up in landfills. Big problems need big solutions, and everyone has a role to play in tackling them. That's why I'm so proud of Fashion Takes Action. What started here in Toronto has grown into a national leader and connector for reducing textile waste and driving circular solutions. Their work aligns with our government's plan to eliminate plastic waste and support industry for a more sustainable and innovative future in Canada."
– Julie Dabrusin, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources and Member of Parliament for Toronto—Danforth
"We are thrilled to receive support from Environment and Climate Change Canada to advance circular solutions for textile waste. This funding enables us to drive research on institutional and commercial textile waste, while also fostering innovation and collaboration through the Canadian Circular Textiles Consortium. Together, we can create a more sustainable and circular future for fashion."
– Kelly Drennan, Founding Executive Director, Fashion Takes Action
Quick facts
- In 2020, Canadians generated 4.9 million tonnes of plastic waste, and about 1% of that entered the environment as pollution.
- Textiles is the fifth-largest category of plastic waste sent to landfills in Canada. Currently, the collection and recycling of textiles is very limited in our country, and approximately 98% of plastic textile waste ends up in landfills.
- In addition, the average Canadian and United States household releases about 533 million microfibres from laundry into wastewater systems every year. While wastewater treatment plants can capture over 95% of microfibres, Canada and the United States collectively release about 878 tonnes—or 3.5 quadrillion microfibers—into our waters after wastewater treatment annually.
- According to Statistics Canada's Physical Flow Account for Plastic Material, around 290 kilotons of synthetic textile products (for example, made of polyester, nylon, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and/or acrylic) were purchased in Canada in 2020. In that same year, around 280 kilotons were discarded as waste.
- Funding for Advancing a Circular Plastics Economy for Canada has supported initiatives in the textile sector; the industrial, commercial, and institutional sector; beverage container sectors; the quick-service restaurants sector; and for upstream solutions, such as reuse, to reduce single-use plastic packaging and more.
- In 2024, the Government of Canada consulted on a draft roadmap to address plastic waste and pollution from the textile and apparel sector. A What We Heard Report summarizing the main themes that emerged from the consultation process was published on March 3, 2025.
Related products
Associated links
Environment and Climate Change Canada's X page
Environment and Climate Change Canada's Facebook page
Environment and Natural Resources in Canada's Facebook page
Environment and Climate Change Canada's LinkedIn page
Environment and Climate Change Canada's Instagram page
SOURCE Environment and Climate Change Canada
Contacts: Hermine Landry, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, 873-455-3714, [email protected]; Media Relations, Environment and Climate Change Canada, 819-938-3338 or 1-844-836-7799 (toll-free), [email protected]
Share this article