With the organizational support of the EU4Energy project, a panel on sustainable fashion and circular economy was held in Europe House

As part of the event called “Energy behind what you wear: Threads for tomorrow”, and during the SDG week in BiH, a panel discussion was held that brought together representatives of the scientific community, as well as designers and entrepreneurs, who tried to jointly consider and expose the impact that fast fashion can have on our future, and also to find circular economy models by which the textile and clothing production sector could adopt and promote a sustainable approach to fashion in the direction of more efficient use of energy and other resources, in a way that is more acceptable for our health environment.

The event was organized by the Delegation of the European Union to BiH, the United Nations in BiH, the Faculty of Economics in Sarajevo and the project “EU4Energy – Support of the European Union to the energy sector in BiH”, with the support of AISEC BiH.

The following participated in the panel discussion: Prof. dr. Amila Pilav-Velić (Faculty of Economics in Sarajevo / Center for Sustainable Energy Transition); Zana Karkin (Bazerdzan Concept Store); Amela Alispahić (Empress d.o.o.) and Amina Omićević (UNDP).

The topics discussed by the participants in the panel were the following:

• Sustainable fashion as a model for a circular economy – The energy transition seeks to create a more sustainable and efficient use of resources, parallel to the goals of the circular economy of sustainable fashion, which emphasizes longevity, repair, recycling and minimal waste – factors that also reduce the carbon footprint of production;
• Textile production and energy efficiency are very energy-intensive, especially for fast fashion brands that prioritize speed and volume over sustainability. Sustainable fashion brands are increasingly focusing on energy efficient processes, such as water and energy saving technologies in dyeing, printing and finishing.
• Consumption of raw materials and energy – Fast fashion often relies on synthetic materials such as polyester, which are derived from fossil fuels and require a significant amount of energy to produce, while sustainable fashion promotes the use of organic, recycled or low-energy;
• Waste generation and energy costs of disposal – Fast fashion contributes to huge amounts of textile waste due to the short life cycle of products and low quality clothing. This waste often ends up in landfills or requires energy-intensive recycling processes. The circular fashion model, which emphasizes reuse, recycling and waste reduction, aligns with the energy transition by lowering the energy costs associated with disposal and resource extraction.

The event was primarily intended for young people and the students present actively followed the discussion and participated in it by asking questions to the panel discussion participants. The discussion was moderated by Ms. Lejla SInanović from the Faculty of Economics in Sarajevo.

At the beginning of the event, Antonella Di Sandra (EUD) and Raduška Cupać (UNDP) addressed the crowd.