How much pollution do our clothes cause? MISSON4WATER tackles the issue of the environmental impact of the textile sector
Textile production is estimated to be responsible for about 20% of global clean water pollution. In the European Union, textiles consumption increased from 17kg per person in 2019 to 19kg per person in 2022. In the same year, textiles ranked fifth among twelve household consumption in terms of raw material use, greenhouse gas emissions, as well as water and land use.
Moreover, water pollution caused by the textile industry affects the entire life cycle of garments, from production to washing, and the disposal of unused clothing. Fast fashion with its mass production and poor textile practices is worsening the situation, increasing environmental and climate pressure.
A partnership to reduce the environmental impact of water pollution
In this panorama, MISSION4WATER, a project funded by the IPA ADRION programme, is concretely acting to reduce pollutants’ dispersion in water through the creation of strategic partnerships providing innovative solutions, applicable to numerous fields, textiles included.
These solutions are considered innovative because the project applies a holistic approach, adopting solutions both already available on the market and new ones while addressing the current tendency of tackling challenges within specific isolated value chains. MISSION4WATER has pulled together existing knowledge to scale up innovation across four key interconnected value chains: polymers, textiles, household appliances, and water treatment, recognizing their strong interdependencies. The project is launching calls for proposals aimed at collecting applications from start-ups that have concreate ideas ready for development. The Call will select 18 new collaborative solutions which will be followed up by training, mentoring, and capacity building modules provided by the MISSION4WATER partners. In addition to these two Calls that have already been launched in November 2025 and March 2026, another Call will be launched in the coming months to foster other collaborative solutions. Moreover, for those who do not yet have a specific idea or a structured consortium, MISSION4WATER has also issued a Call for Expressions of Interest, through which individuals or organizations can express their willingness in connecting with stakeholders who share an interest in the themes and challenges addressed by the project and are interested in being part of future activities, collaborations, or calls.
In fact, the project supports specifically SMEs, key stakeholders in the Adriatic- Ionian region, linking scientific solutions in the field of green innovation and clean technologies with business applications. The collaborative model brings together partners from the business industry, institutions, universities, and citizens. The so-called quadruple helix system fosters a multi-disciplinary and multi-sectoral cooperation scheme to unlock the innovation potential of SMEs across the Adriatic-Ionian region, aligning their expertise towards the shared goal of reducing pollutants dispersion in water.
Concrete actions in the textile sector
The project addresses different target groups by organizing workshops to raise awareness and train industry stakeholders.
The last event was held on 24 February 2026 by the Textile Trade Association – Textile Cluster, Project Partner from North Macedonia, that organized a workshop in collaboration with International Balkan University. The workshop focused on microplastic release in water, that contaminates wastewater through dyes, chemicals, and synthetic particles. The workshop also explored the role played by sustainable practices in fashion design, using digital tools and 3D technology for modelling and sampling with the aim of reducing unnecessary physical samples, waste, and resource use in the design process.
The initiative planned to combine multiple skills, both scientific and creative ones, involving the Hydro-Engineering Institute Sarajevo (HEIS), to gather useful insights on water pollution from wet processing and finishing stages, and the IBU Faculty of Art and Design, where students were involved in interactive session to apply upcycling approaches and circular economy R-strategies (Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Repair, Repurpose, Recycle, and Upcycle) using secondhand fashion materials.
As highlighted by Ass. Prof. Medina Hodza and her students in the “Second Life Textiles: Transforming Garments into Art” session, the redefinition of “what is typically classified as waste” through upcycled and remanufactured garments offers countless benefits: reduction of water use, avoiding fiber cultivation, highly water and chemical-intensive dyeing and finishing processes as well as prevention of textile waste in landfills.
Beyond Textiles: A Cross-Sectoral Impact
Those benefits are not limited to the textile sector alone, but to multiple sectors, underlining the transversal nature of the topic.
MISSION4WATER has also focused on waste produced in the hospitality sector, through a training organized on March 23, 2026, in Montenegro, with the aim of improving the sustainability of hotel operations. The training explored both funding opportunities and practical solutions such as microfiber filtration in washing machines.
Traning at the Chedi Luštica Bay Hotel on March 23, 2026
The awareness workshops are addressed to NGOs, schools, and citizens too, marking the importance of spreading methods to observe and measure microplastic pollution at all levels. On March 30, 2026, an online event was organized by Planet Care, Politecnico di Milano and ROLD, producer of components and technology for household appliances, to share simple procedures that can be implemented with limited equipment for measuring microplastic emissions from washing machines in different contexts, such as environmental samples (air, water, soil), wastewater and effluents, consumer products (food, water, compost), biological samples and tissues.
Conclusion
As demonstrated by MISSION4WATER, the impact of water pollution transcends sectorial boundaries; therefore, a systemic shift is required, changing methods and approaches in multiple sectors. The innovative solutions tested to the four key value chains highlight how sustainable practices can be integrated throughout the entire lifecycle of products, applying circular economy principles, and innovative solutions to minimize waste.
Multisectoral benefits are achievable thanks to a strong partnership between different actors. Raising awareness and equipping stakeholders, from businesses to citizens, with practical tools is in fact essential to ensure long-term impact. Project as MISSION4WATER underlines how the reduction of pollutants’ dispersion in water and the environmental footprint of sectors, as textile and hospitality, depends on the awareness of our daily behaviors and collective commitment to rethink procedures, adopt green innovations and clean technologies, and at the same time promoting more responsible habits at all levels.
