Circular textiles

Old clothes turned into rugs, repairs and second lives, with every kilogram weighed. This is where C U THERE started: our first project, Stelles Stelles, weaves rugs from old clothes in Riga.

Discuss a textiles pilot All programme ideas

Why it matters

  • Europeans throw away about 16 kg of textiles per person a year. Only about 4.6 kg of that is collected separately. EEA, 2022 data
  • People in the EU used about 19 kg of textiles each in 2022: 8 kg of clothing, 7 kg of household textiles and 4 kg of shoes. EEA, 2025
  • Between 4% and 9% of the textiles put on the EU market are destroyed before anyone uses them. EEA, 2025
  • Every EU country has had to collect textiles separately since 1 January 2025, and must set up producer-funded textile schemes by 17 April 2028. In those schemes, social-economy organisations may run their own collection points and keep what they collect. Directive (EU) 2025/1892
  • In Latvia, about 5,000 tonnes of textiles were collected in 2025, and about 1,500 tonnes were prepared for re-use. State Environmental Service figures, reported by LETA, 2026

Programmes

Each one is scoped with you: place, budget, timing and what we measure. A first pilot runs in one place for a few months.

  • Rugs from old clothes

    Riga now, method travels

    Participants cut old clothes into strips and weave rugs on traditional looms, with an experienced weaver beside them. Sessions suit beginners, and people 50+ are especially welcome.

    We count
    Kilograms of textiles woven in (from a scale log), rugs finished, sessions held
    We look for
    Participants who finish a rug, people who come back, new skills reported by participants

  • Repair and swap days

    Worldwide

    Pop-up days where people mend clothes with volunteer tailors and swap what they no longer wear.

    We count
    Items repaired, items swapped or rehomed, kilograms kept in use
    We look for
    People who come back, people who learned to do a repair themselves

  • Textile collection with social enterprises

    EU

    Support a local social enterprise that collects, sorts and re-uses textiles as the new EU rules take hold.

    We count
    Kilograms collected, assessed fit for re-use, sent to recycling and sent to other recovery: the categories the 2025 EU directive asks collectors to report
    We look for
    Training places or jobs for people who struggle to find work, where the partner offers them

How we report it

Every report keeps what we counted apart from what changed, says how each number was measured, and lists what the data can't show. Where it helps your own reporting, we map the data to:

  • B4SI: inputs, outputs and impacts of community investment
  • GRI 413-1: local community engagement and impact assessment
  • ESRS S3: affected communities, if your group reports under the EU sustainability rules
  • UN SDG target 12.5: substantially reduce waste through prevention, reduction, recycling and reuse

Rules we follow here

On top of our general rules: no gambling promotion, recognition only where the law allows it, independent partners and open books.

  • Carbon or water savings appear in reports only as clearly labelled estimates, with the method shown.

  • Textiles that can't be re-used go to authorised collectors, and the report says where they went.

  • We record weights in the same categories as the 2025 EU directive, so the data can feed official reporting later.

Start a pilot

Your team spends a day at the loom, or runs a repair-and-swap day with clothes they bring from home. Tell us the countries you operate in, your timing and a rough budget, and we will reply with a pilot outline.

Email info@cuthere.lv How we work