EU authority: Thousands of tons of textile waste illegally brought into Türkiye

Investigators have uncovered a large-scale illegal export of textile waste from Italy to Turkey. According to the European Anti-Fraud Office (Olaf), based in Brussels, several thousand tons of textile waste were seized. In Italy, the authorities also confiscated assets worth around twelve million euros.

According to the EU authority, the waste is difficult to recycle textiles with a high proportion of acrylic fibers, which are not biodegradable and can remain in the environment for up to 200 years. In order to avoid expensive recycling and environmental regulations, the deliveries are said to have been falsely declared as recyclable material.

The deliveries to Turkey are said to have been part of a much larger system. According to the Italian Carabinieri, there is a suspected network behind it that is said to have illegally disposed of and stored more than 26,000 tons of textile waste. 20 people are being investigated.

Together with Italian carabinieri and Turkish authorities, the Olaf authority identified suspicious shipments using trade and customs data. Several deliveries were then checked in Turkey. According to the authority, around 4,200 tonnes of textile waste were seized.

The case concerns an area that is increasingly in focus in the EU. According to the EU authority, millions of tonnes of textile waste are generated, of which only some is recycled. Stricter rules for the treatment and export of textiles have been in effect since the end of 2025. This is intended to prevent waste from being declared as recyclable goods and transported abroad.