Professional textiles: towards more circular public procurement

Faced with environmental and economic challenges, contracting authorities are asking themselves: what actions can be taken to make their textile purchases more circular while ensuring safety and quality? Together with public buyers, we explored the challenges, drivers, and solutions for integrating circularity into workwear and protective equipment. Discover the key insights and tools available to help you transform your purchasing practices.

On 6 November 2025, Circular Wallonia, in collaboration with the Responsible Public Procurement Network (Public Service of Wallonia), organised a webinar entitled “Peer Workshop: Circular Workwear & Protective Equipment”. The aim was to support contracting authorities in making their textile purchases more circular.

Philippe Colignon, Circular Economy Consultant at Centexbel, shed light on the specificities of the sector. He emphasized the distinction between workwear (designed to avoid getting dirty) and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) (intended to protect against risks), stressing that safety always comes first, especially for PPE subject to strict standards.

With regard to the end of life of professional textiles, a recent study by Centexbel revealed a low rate of systematic collection. When they are recovered, their reuse is prevented by the issue of company logos, and their recycling is often complicated by the composition of these products. Incineration therefore remains the most important route for these textiles today. 

Despite these difficulties, projects such as Utexbel's Dr. Green, which originated from an Interreg project, have proven the feasibility of closing the “garment-to-garment” loop for hospital uniforms, although this requires rigorous eco-design and a complex process (unraveling, adding virgin materials) to maintain quality after numerous washes. Solutions are therefore technically possible but must be encouraged by purchasing practices that promote eco-design, sustainable maintenance, and the collection of professional textiles.