Circular fashion: current scenario and open legal issues. Private law aspects.

Circular fashion faces several challenges to become a widespread reality, including the need to scale recycling technologies, change consumer habits, and balance production costs. Companies must rethink their business models, shifting from mass production to more sustainable models that prioritize the durability, repairability, and recycling of garments. However, problems remain related to the difficulty of scaling recycling technologies, the consumer mindset that needs to be shifted toward more responsible purchasing and use, and the need to balance the high costs of sustainable production with consumer price expectations. Furthermore, fast fashion, with its excessive production model and rapid garment obsolescence, represents a significant obstacle; Circular fashion and fast fashion represent two opposing approaches in the clothing industry. Fast fashion focuses on the rapid and low-cost production of trendy garments, often with a high environmental and social impact. Circular fashion, on the other hand, aims for a more sustainable system, where products are designed to last, be recycled, and reused, reducing waste and pollution. As does the phenomenon of greenwashing, where companies pretend to be sustainable without actually being so. Specifically, greenwashing in fashion is the practice of companies misleadingly communicating their products or services to make them appear more sustainable than they actually are, often using vague terms, ambiguous certifications, or making unfulfilled promises. This phenomenon is particularly widespread in the textile industry, which is among the most polluting, and can harm consumers and companies that are seriously committed to sustainability. Starting from the concept of circular and sustainable fashion, this paper aims to systematically reconstruct the regulations governing circular fashion in Italy and Europe, which are increasingly evolving to make the textile sector more sustainable and environmentally friendly, reducing waste and promoting recycling. This work highlights the various regulatory and practical challenges still facing the sector, for which it will attempt to offer potential solutions also in light of those offered by the End of Waste process.