The Vulnerability of the Current Model

For decades, the business model of traditional tailor shops and workshops in Serbia has remained largely unchanged, relying almost exclusively on a single source of revenue: direct services for individual walk-in clients. This “passive” model creates a dangerous dependency – if a client does not proactively seek out the workshop, business ceases to exist.

Furthermore, the prevalence of one-person workshops creates an absolute reliance on the owner’s physical presence. When a solo entrepreneur is forced to step away for personal emergencies, illness, or even administrative tasks, the business effectively pauses. Closed doors lead to missed opportunities, eroded client trust, and a breakdown in the continuity that is essential for building a long-term professional relationship. While hiring additional staff can mitigate the risk of absence, it does not solve the underlying problem: the total dependence on a fluctuating stream of individual customers.

The ESPR Catalyst: Diversifying the Value Chain

The upcoming Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) is introducing a significant “regulatory push” that will redefine the relationship between brands, repair workshops, and recycling centers. This regulation is not just a compliance hurdle; it is a catalyst for a new business model based on the diversification of income.

One of the most promising shifts under ESPR is the obligation for brands to ensure that consumers have access to original replacement materials – such as zippers, rivets, buckles, and specific threads – for repairs. This opens a dual opportunity for workshops:

1. Professional Service Delivery: Maintaining the primary role of high-quality repair and alteration.
2. Specialized Retail: Workshops can supplement their income by becoming authorized points of sale for original, high-quality haberdashery and repair kits provided by global brands.

This connects workshops directly into the brand’s value chain, transforming them from isolated service providers into vital partners in the product’s lifecycle.

The Next Frontier: The Circular Hub

As the REPPAREL Initiative continues to map and analyze the sector, we are preparing to unveil a transformative strategic approach: the evolution of the workshop into a Circular Hub.

This vision goes beyond repair. It envisions a new workshop model that integrates the collection, sorting, and dismantling of used clothing. By diversifying into these pre-recycling and upcycling activities, a workshop ceases to be a simple repair shop and becomes a critical node in the circular infrastructure. This full diversification allows for the sustainable hiring of additional labor, as revenue is no longer tied solely to the sewing machine, but to the management of textile resources.

This shift represents one of the core strategic pillars of the REPPAREL Initiative. We are not just advocating for better legislation; we are designing the blueprint for a workshop that is resilient, professionalized, and central to the future of the global textile industry.

IGOR RADULOVIĆ

Program Director, REPPAREL Initiative

A circular economy strategist with over 30 years of industry experience, specializing in aligning regional textile ecosystems with EU sustainable regulations and modern business models.

The post Redefining the Tailoring Workshop appeared first on REPPAREL Initiative.

The Failure of the “Passive Collection” Model

For over two decades, street containers were the primary method for textile collection across Europe. However, recent data and market shifts have exposed this model as structurally unstable. The reliance on high-volume, unmonitored collection points has led to severe operational challenges:

Market Saturation: Global secondary markets are rejecting low-quality textile waste, making the “collect-and-export” model economically unviable.

High Contamination Rates: Street containers suffer from moisture, vandalism, and illegal dumping, rendering up to 40% of collected textiles unrecyclable.

Logistical Fragility: The collapse of major logistical players like I:CO (following the SOEX Group insolvency in late 2024) has left a void in the retail collection system, proving that centralized, third-party logistics are no longer reliable.

The Workshop as a Superior Alternative

The REPPAREL Initiative proposes a strategic shift: replacing anonymous street containers with the Circular Workshop Hub. By transforming local tailor shops and workshops into professional collection points, we solve the two biggest hurdles of the textile industry—quality and trust.

Why the “Hub” model outperforms the “Container” model:

Direct Quality Control: Collection at a workshop involves a face-to-face interaction. The workshop owner (as a textile expert) can perform a preliminary assessment of the garment’s condition, preventing contamination at the source.

Increased Value Retention: Instead of shipping textiles to massive sorting centers, a Circular Hub can immediately identify items for repair, upcycling, or dismantling. This keeps the value within the local economy.

Customer Loyalty & Trust: Unlike a street container, a workshop provides a professional environment. Customers are more likely to donate high-quality items when they know their garments will be professionally managed by an expert they trust.

Operational Resilience: By integrating collection into an existing business location, the need for expensive public permits and specialized street logistics is eliminated. The workshop uses its existing infrastructure to manage “reverse logistics.”

The REPPAREL Strategic Vision

The insolvency of major players like I:CO is a clear signal that the industry must localize and professionalize. The REPPAREL Initiative is positioning the evolution of the traditional repair workshops to a Circular Hub as the sustainable alternative to the failed container model.

By decentralizing the sorting and dismantling process, we enable small workshops to grow from simple repair shops into vital resource managers. This is not just a change in business activity; it is a fundamental evolution of the textile value chain—moving from an inefficient street-level “waste” system to a professional “resource” network.

IGOR RADULOVIĆ

Program Director, REPPAREL Initiative

A circular economy strategist with over 30 years of industry experience, specializing in aligning regional textile ecosystems with EU sustainable regulations and modern business models.

The post The Evolution from Street Containers to Circular Hubs appeared first on REPPAREL Initiative.

The Statistical Invisibility of Circularity

The Serbian textile industry is at a crossroads. While global focus shifts toward circularity and the European Green Deal, a significant portion of our local infrastructure remains statistically invisible. Our recent initiative, “Code:REPAIR” highlights a critical structural barrier: the lack of a specific NACE/APR activity code for clothing repairs and alterations.

Currently, in Serbia, micro-entrepreneurs and tailor shops are often categorized under a generic code 14.13 “Manufacture of other clothing”. This misclassification is more than a bureaucratic nuance – it is a hurdle for sustainable development.

Approach

REPPAREL Initiative is advocating a simple but effective solution: institutional adoption of a new activity code “Clothing repair, alteration and upcycling“, which would separate repair services from production, and consequently create the necessary conditions for growth as well as the revitalisation of the service sector in line with the global sustainability efforts, and, specifically, aligned with the EU regulations.

Alternatively, the adoption of a dedicated sub-code for repairs in the textile industry would substantially change the micro-entrepreneurial ecosystem through systemic visibility and numerous support possibilities.

The Republic of Serbia is currently finalizing the national version of the KD2025 classification to ensure full harmonization with the European Union’s NACE Rev. 2.1, which came into force on January 1, 2025. This alignment represents a critical window of opportunity for the REPPAREL Initiative to advocate for a more granular and modern classification of textile repair services. Without this timely synchronization, the domestic repair and alteration sector risks remaining trapped in an outdated regulatory framework, disconnected from the European statistical and economic system.

The REPPAREL Initiative is bridging this gap by providing the data and the policy framework necessary to turn local craftsmanship into a recognized pillar of the circular economy. unnecessary and inefficient administration.

Why Data-Driven Lobbying Matters

To transition from a linear to a circular model, we must first define the stakeholders. By advocating for a dedicated activity code with the Ministry of Economy and the Ministry of Trade, the REPPAREL Initiative aims to:

• Unlock Financial Support: Specific NACE codes allow for targeted subsidies, green transition funds, and EU-backed grants that are currently inaccessible to “hidden” workshops.
• Formalize the “Circular Resource Manager”: We are moving beyond simple repairs – modern workshops are becoming hubs for product longevity, upcycling, and material recovery.
• Prepare for ESPR and DPP: The upcoming Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) and Digital Product Passports (DPP) will require a verified network of repair service providers.

Mapping the Future

Our pilot research in the Nišava district and across Serbia shows that the repair sector is not dying; it is evolving. However, without official recognition, these businesses cannot easily integrate into the supply chains of global brands that are now looking for local “repair-as-a-service” partners.

Formalizing the textile repair sector is not just about changing a number in a registry – it is about validating a profession that is essential for a sustainable future.

IGOR RADULOVIĆ

Program Director, REPPAREL Initiative

A circular economy strategist with over 30 years of industry experience, specializing in aligning regional textile ecosystems with EU sustainable regulations and modern business models.

The post The Case for a Dedicated Textile Repair Activity Code appeared first on REPPAREL Initiative.

The European Commission opened a call for proposals for the Digital Product Passport (DPP) as part of the new Ecodesign for Sustainable Products regulation on May 11, 2023, under the Digital Europe Programme. The Commission considers this program as a cornerstone to promote products that are more sustainable and environmentally friendly.

The existing Ecodesign Directive from 2009, which currently covers only products in the energy sector, has shown significant results, leading to financial savings and a 10% reduction in electricity consumption among the product groups it encompasses. Therefore, there is a need to expand the regulation to other industries (excluding the food industry).

So far, 26 proposers have submitted their opinions on the Digital Product Passport, including organizations from the EU and several proposers from Turkey as a candidate country.

The framework of future regulation will enable the establishment of a wide range of obligations, including the Digital Product Passport.

Benefits of Digital Product Passport

The European Commission has stated the objectives of the Digital Product Passport in its call for proposals.

The primary objectives are:

• To enable all relevant economic actors to share key information about products, related to their sustainability and circularity, and to accelerate the transition to a circular economy by increasing the energy efficiency of products, extending the product lifespan, optimizing product design and manufacturing processes, as well as managing product use and end-of-life processes.
• To provide new business opportunities to economic actors through value retention based on improved data access, as well as the optimization and improvement of repair, maintenance, re-manufacturing, and recycling processes.
• To assist consumers in making sustainable choices.
• To allow administrations to verify compliance with legal regulations.

New Digital Product Passport Regulation and Industry Opinion

Among the organizations that have provided their opinions in the process of creating the new Ecodesign for Sustainable Products regulation, a special contribution from the textile industry was provided by the well-known Dutch agency Policy Hub, together with its partners, including Global Fashion Agenda, Sustainable Apparel Coalition, and H&M Group.

Since the improvement proposals published in the official feedback from Policy Hub to the European Commission deserve special attention, for the purpose of this text, we highlight point 7, which “welcomes the EC’s proposal to provide an alternative to the existing CE marking of products, and suggests the Digital Product Passport as a far more suitable tool for the textile and footwear industries”.

In the new Ecodesign for Sustainable Products regulation, there is a particular emphasis on the need for significant increase in product durability, as well as opportunities for reuse and improvements in product repairability.

In point 7 of the submitted opinion, it is specifically emphasized that the DoC and EC labels have never been used in the textile and footwear industries and that it would represent a significant burden and risk in creating unnecessary and inefficient administration.

The Importance of Digital Product Passport in Production Processes

Access to clear and precise information such as product composition, origin of materials and components, as well as technical processes used in production, will be crucial for technologists in the sustainable development industry, especially in the phases of repair, improvement, and reuse of products.

Recycling facilities will be able to optimize processes, save costs, and increase efficiency by having access to complete product information. Brands that invest in their own repair, alteration, and improvement facilities will use the information obtained from the Product Data Sheet (PDS), in addition to systematizing technological processes, to improve their business in the areas of marketing and sales.

In the new Ecodesign for Sustainable Products regulation, there is a particular emphasis on the need for significant increase in product durability, as well as opportunities for reuse and improvements in product reparability.

Culture of clothing repair and reuse

The vision of the European Commission from the Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles highlights, among other things, the importance of ensuring conditions for the existence of a wide availability of clothing repair and reuse services.

Looking at Europe as a whole, we can observe a dual situation when it comes to the availability of major and minor clothing alteration services. While Western and Northern European countries experience a lack of access to clothing alteration services, countries in Southern Europe, as well as European nations influenced by Mediterranean cultures, have a strong tradition of craftsmanship, with a large number of tailoring salons and workshops that provide repair, alteration, and enhancement services for clothing.

Differences in consumer habits related to the use and lifespan of clothing in different European regions are not surprising, considering the social and cultural aspects. Therefore, the exchange of knowledge and best practices between European countries as a whole is of utmost importance in creating legislation that will not only influence EU member states but also countries in the accession process.

Chance for the Participation of the Textile Industry in Serbia

Call for opinions in the process of creating the Digital Product Passport is open until September 26, 2023. So far, 26 proposers have submitted their opinions on the Digital Product Passport, including organizations from the EU and several proposers from Turkey as a candidate country.

The REPPAREL Initiative welcomes the opportunity for actors from the Serbian textile industry, like Turkish organizations, to contribute to the achievement of the goals set out in the European Commission’s Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles. By providing opinions and suggestions, organizations from Serbia would directly impact the creation of industrial standards and market conditions that would make the national textile industry competitive and strong enough to enter the crucial collective European market.

IGOR RADULOVIĆ

Program Director, REPPAREL Initiative

A circular economy strategist with over 30 years of industry experience, specializing in aligning regional textile ecosystems with EU sustainable regulations and modern business models.

The post EC directive on the Digital Product Passport appeared first on REPPAREL Initiative.

cerzir (Portuguese): a patch

surcir (Spanish): to modify

When we think about a history of repairs and alterations, almost immediately, a quirky dilemma appears: What is older, a suit or a patch? As trivial as it may seem, the dilemma posed is still significant. Unexpectedly, linguistics was the first to answer this seemingly historical question and ruled that the patch is actually older!

EVOLUTION OF CRAFTSMANSHIP

By following the language paths, we can somewhat trace the path of knowledge and its transmission. Knowledge transforms into skills, which we then use to obtain a profession, or in our case, a craft. Therefore, crafts inexorably travel, expand, and evolve. Crossing the boundaries of cultures and civilizations, each one has added more to the treasury of skill and craft than it has taken from it.

Thanks to the dedication and attention that craftsmen have given to their acquired skills, trades have not only crossed geographical boundaries but also temporal ones. Through the inheritance of skills and the transfer of knowledge from parents to children, the first family workshops were created. Over time, family workshops grew into companies, which with their success and importance, participated in the creation of what we know today as the market. In the Middle Ages, these circumstances led craftsmen to form craft associations, guilds, and clubs. Their task was to preserve the profession and improve business, both by maintaining existing markets and conquering new ones.

THE SUIT

As centuries pass, we also follow the Suit, which has been one of the main points of our dilemma since the beginning of the text. More precisely, we follow its creators – tailors, who rightfully gained the status of engineers of their profession by developing their skills. Like all engineers, tailors have mastered the alchemy of Creation. In the eyes of their clients, they transform flat and uniform fabric into impeccable suits and luxurious dresses seemingly with ease. Clients then use these garments to prove their created, inherited, or even invented status to the rest of the world and themselves.

You will say, nothing has changed until today.

And it hasn’t.

Our clients haven’t changed; therefore, to this day, the favorite form of nonverbal communication remains fashion. In other words, the clothes we use to present ourselves to the world around us. As tailors, we haven’t changed much. We are still both masters and slaves of Creation, absorbed in our own creations, which are, once again, more or less the same!

However, somewhat unexpectedly, the winner of the dilemma from the beginning of the history of repairs and alterations remains unchanged.

The Patch is still with us, both with the tailors and the clients. It emerged victorious in a grand style, without changing its purpose in the slightest.

FIXED, WORN, AND LOVED

Ask any tailor and they will tell you: “Yes, of course we do repairs.”

Of course, they’re making repairs because repairs are also a form of Creation. For some of us tailors, repairs, and alterations are a sublime skill of recreation that intimately symbolizes Rebirth. The challenge is even greater: to repair and breathe new life into the chosen piece of clothing!

Today, patching is an excellent go-to solution in the principles of sustainable development, which brings tangible results in the struggle for a cleaner planet. Clothes are repaired and altered, reborn and reused. Sometimes they are altered and given to someone else, and sometimes they are fixed, worn, and loved even more.

The Patch is a winner of the digital age as well. In the IT industry, every patch is eagerly awaited because there is no successful and sustainable project or product without a good quality patch. Codes are regularly patched and fixed, websites load quickly, and games don’t lag.

Let’s not be surprised if one morning an inspired programmer or gamer wakes up and asks:

“What came first? A Code or a Patch?”

IGOR RADULOVIĆ

Program Director, REPPAREL Initiative

A circular economy strategist with over 30 years of industry experience, specializing in aligning regional textile ecosystems with EU sustainable regulations and modern business models.

The post A Journey of a Suit and a Patch appeared first on REPPAREL Initiative.