By Hanna Gavrylova (TEXroad)
On June 8th, the Textile Circularity cluster of the SAGE project brought together consortium partners, public sector organisations, and knowledge institutions in the Netherlands, along with several Italian organisations and EU representatives, for an interactive session on the Green Deal Data Space and circular textiles. The session ran in hybrid format, hosted at CBS (Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek) in the Hague.
The focus was on building a shared understanding around key concepts: data spaces, Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), and Digital Product Passports (DPPs). Partners presented the latest work from the consortium and opened the floor for dialogue on the real challenges stakeholders are facing, and how a federated, interoperable data infrastructure can help address them.
The conversation quickly surfaced a fundamental issue. “The session showed that a lack of high-quality data on circular textiles and insufficient standardisation present substantial challenges,” says Peter Nooteboom of CBS. “Fortunately, SAGE provides an opportunity to demonstrate concrete examples of how the Green Deal Data Space can improve data quality and help solve some of these challenges.”
The discussion also highlighted the particular role public institutions can play. Nooteboom notes that it became clear there is a strong case for government participation in the GDDS — with public sector bodies able to act as both suppliers and users of data, helping to streamline data flows and reduce administrative burden for private sector entities. The diversity of public sector stakeholders in the room was itself seen as valuable by participants.
A warm thank you to everyone who joined and contributed their insights. Your input is shaping the direction of this work. We aim to continue engaging both the public and private sector in the future, stay tuned.