{"id":1048894,"date":"2026-06-25T09:29:26","date_gmt":"2026-06-25T09:29:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/1048894\/"},"modified":"2026-06-25T09:29:26","modified_gmt":"2026-06-25T09:29:26","slug":"olaf-helps-prevent-illegal-dumping-of-thousands-of-tonnes-of-textile-waste","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/1048894\/","title":{"rendered":"OLAF helps prevent illegal dumping of thousands of tonnes of textile waste"},"content":{"rendered":"

Press release no. 14\/2026
PDF version<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n

The European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF)\u00a0has\u00a0helped identify large-scale trafficking of textile waste from Italy to\u00a0T\u00fcrkiye.\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

The textiles in question contain a high percentage of acrylic fibres,\u00a0which are\u00a0non-biodegradable and can last in the environment for as long as 200 years. They\u00a0require specific recycling technology\u00a0and are subject to strict and expensive recycling rules.\u00a0In cooperation with the Italian Carabinieri, OLAF studied the availability of this technology and combined it with analysis of trade\u00a0flows and\u00a0customs data to identify several shipments that were mislabelled to avoid the more expensive recycling requirements.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Collaborating\u00a0closely with the Turkish customs authorities,\u00a0OLAF ensured that for these suspicious shipments were inspected upon arrival in T\u00fcrkiye. Around 4,200 tonnes of textile waste were identified as having been illegally shipped from Italy to T\u00fcrkiye.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

OLAF also took part in an on-the-spot inspection organised by the Turkish authorities alongside Carabinieri and specialists from the Tuscany regional environmental protection agency (ARPAT) from Italy.\u00a0 Nearly 2,100 tonnes of textiles were discovered during the inspection, stocked in a warehouse owned by a Turkish recycling facility that was not managed in accordance with applicable Turkish environmental regulations and permit requirements. Thanks to OLAF intelligence, a further 768 tonnes of textile waste originating from Italy and connected to the same fraudulent scheme were found stored in the Turkish port of Mersin, also incorrectly labelled\u00a0and ready to\u00a0be illegally dumped. All these shipments were seized by the Turkish authorities.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Petr Klement, Director-General of OLAF, said:\u00a0\u201cSchemes such as this one that offer ways to illegally avoid the cost of recycling certain kinds of textile waste or complying with environmental rules are an opportunity for organised networks to make illegal gains. The threat to our economy and our environment is both real and massive. OLAF\u2019s work is crucial in tracking down these shipments and working with national authorities in and around Europe to detect and seize the waste and helping to take down these criminal organisations. This case showcases the significance and the impact of\u00a0OLAF\u2019s work for the benefit of Europeans today and tomorrow.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

OLAF\u2019s work also resulted this week in a raid by the Italian Carabinieri in Brescia, in the northern Italian region of Lombardy, on a business complex owned by a company linked to the illegal exports. The company\u2019s assets, including its operating facilities, a fleet of articulated trucks illegally used for transport and around \u20ac12 million in financial assets, were seized as a result of the raid. For more information, see the\u00a0press release<\/a> from the Comando Carabinieri per la Tutela Forestale\u00a0Brescia.<\/p>\n

Background\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

The EU’s textile and clothing sector is a significant economic force, generating a turnover of \u20ac170 billion in 2023 and employing 1.3 million people across 197,000 companies.\u202f\u202fBut\u00a0textile waste\u00a0is notoriously slow and costly to\u00a0recycle:\u00a0around\u00a012.6 million tonnes\u00a0of waste was\u00a0generated in 2019, of which only one-fifth was separately collected for reuse or recycling.\u202f\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n

The European Commission introduced\u00a0new rules<\/a>\u00a0on the sustainable management of textile waste in October 2025.\u00a0Among other measures, the new\u00a0rules\u00a0make a clear distinction between\u00a0used textiles and textile waste.\u00a0All separately collected textiles\u00a0are\u00a0now\u00a0considered as waste,\u00a0and each EU country must ensure\u00a0that separately collected textiles undergo sorting operations before their possible shipment, preventing waste from being falsely labelled and exported as reusable. \u00a0<\/p>\n

Textiles that are not sorted in this way are\u00a0subject to\u00a0a different, set of rules, the\u00a0Waste Shipment Regulation<\/a>, which also reinforces OLAF in supporting Member State investigations into waste trafficking.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

OLAF mission, mandate and competences:<\/strong><\/p>\n

OLAF\u2019s mission is to detect, investigate and stop wrongdoings related to EU funds.<\/p>\n

OLAF fulfils its mission by:<\/p>\n