Some of Europe’s largest fashion companies will start collecting discarded clothes from April as part of a voluntary pilot scheme to manage textile waste that anticipates EU regulations expected to come into force in 2026.

Zara owner Inditex, Sweden’s H&M, France’s Decathlon, Ikea and UK-headquartered Primark are among 10 brands that will participate in a trial that will separate textiles and shoes from other waste collection so they can be reused or recycled, according to organizers of the project, dubbed Re-viste.

Spain is awaiting final approval of new EU regulations that will require member states to separate textiles from other waste before it issues rules to fashion companies, which will meet the cost of managing the textile waste, Marta Gomez, director of quality and environmental evaluation at the ministry of energy transition, told fashion leaders at an event in Madrid.

The EU regulations won’t come into force before 2026 as authorities will give companies at least a year to adapt, government officials and fashion industry sources said.

“The regulations show us the way, but we have decided not to wait to comply with the legal requirements,” said Andres Fernandez, president of Re-viste and head of sustainability at retailer Mango, which is also part of the trial.

The rules will mean that companies that sell more clothes and shoes are likely to have to pay more for managing the waste.

In Spain, just 12 per cent of used clothes are collected separately and 88 per cent end up in landfill, according to official data. Each resident in Spain discards 20 kilos of clothes per year compared to an average of seven kilos in Europe, authorities say.

During the year-long trial, Re-viste plans to set up dozens of containers in churches, stores, shopping centers and streets to collect the waste in bags and take it to plants for sorting.

Once the legislation comes into force, fashion companies estimate that Spain will need one textile waste container for every 1,200 residents.

• Reporting by Corina Pons; Editing by Charlie Devereux and Mark Potter, of Reuters.