Europe’s Kidswear Waste Crisis

Europeans bin 812.6 million items of kids’ clothes annually

• On average European kids are bought 64 items of clothing (equating to 28 binbagsⁱ) by the time they reach 16
• Epson launches first-of-its-kind doll-sized fashion collection made from textile waste with designer Priya Ahluwalia, CD and Founder of Ahluwalia, to showcase sustainable clothing innovation that could tackle landfill crisis

LONDON, Jan. 12, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- New research from Epson has revealed that Europeans throw 812.6 millionⁱⁱ pieces of children’s clothing into landfill each year – 918 times the height of Mount Everestⁱⁱⁱ if stacked in one giant clothes pile.

While 52% of parents actively consider more sustainable clothes for themselves, over a third (35%) admit to getting rid of their children’s clothes in the quickest and easiest way possible.

To showcase how innovation can help tackle this growing waste problem, Epson has collaborated with fashion designer and sustainability trailblazer Priya Ahluwalia to create Fashion Play – a doll-sized fashion collection printed using Epson’s Monna Lisa digital textile printing technology and made from textile waste using Epson’s pioneering Dry Fibre Technology, which transforms old textiles into new fibres without water or harsh chemicals.

According to the findings, children in Europe are bought an average of 64 items of clothing each every year – totalling 4.3 billion^iv. 42% of parents say their kids have unworn items with tags still attached sitting in their wardrobes, while 54% have thrown away or re-purposed clothes that have NEVER been worn.

Maria Eagling, Chief Marketing Officer at Epson, commented: “Fashion offers every age a creative avenue for self-expression, but we all have a part to play in making better choices when it comes to what we buy and how we get rid of it when we’re done.   While there are simple actions consumers can take – from reducing the amount they buy and prioritising pre-loved – we wanted to show how innovation like Dry Fibre Technology can also help cut down the amount of clothes that go into landfill.

“The Fashion Play collection is a playful nod to our love of dressing up – which starts when we are children – but using methods and materials such as these could make a seismic change to the fashion industry and planet. We’re really excited to be working with Priya Ahluwalia, a designer who we hugely admire for her upcycling endeavours and commitment to creating beautiful pieces that don’t cost the earth.”

Fashion Play takes inspiration from the Ahluwalia AW25 collection. In addition to Dry Fibre Technology, other production methods used to create the outfits include Epson’s next generation digital textile printer, the Monna Lisa, which can reduce water consumption in the colour printing stage of clothing production by up to 97%.

Commenting on the collection Priya Ahluwalia said: “Travelling to India and Nigeria, I witnessed the true scale of textile waste as a result of the Western second-hand clothing industry. That experience has stayed with me, and I have since endeavoured to work in a way that is better for people and the planet, especially in the global south.

“This collaboration with Epson goes beyond fashion. It’s about starting conversations on sustainability at multiple levels, from how we dress ourselves to what we choose for those we love.  Through this miniature collection made with Dry Fibre Technology, we hope to show that innovation and imagination can reshape the future of fashion.”

Further statistics:

• On average, European parents spend €540 a year on each child’s wardrobe.
• 6% of parents buy new clothes for their child every week.
• The average item of kids’ clothing is worn 27 times.
• 27% of parents admit to throwing kids’ clothing in the bin because of a lack of time.
• 55% of parents aren’t aware that most children’s clothing contain synthetic fibres that can take up to 450 years to decompose.
• Children are bought around six items of clothing by friends and family during the Christmas period – two of which won’t ever be worn.
  
  

Notes to editors

About the research
The research was conducted by 3GEM, among a sample of 7,000 European parents (1,000 UK, France, Portugal, Italy, Spain, Germany, Poland) aged 18+ who have children aged 1-16 years olds. The data was collected between 16^th – 22^nd October 2025.

About Epson / Monna Lisa printer
For over 80 years, Epson has been at the forefront of printing innovation. Best known for home and office printing solutions, Epson has pioneered a water-free paper and textile re-fibration process known as Dry Fibre Technology (DFT). Initially used for recycling office paper, DFT has now been adapted to produce rolls of printable non-woven fabric from used garments without the need for water.   
Dry Fibre Technology is a significant innovation and opportunity for the fashion industry because it offers a water-free defibration process that makes fashion circularity a reality.  

Epson’s solution to digital textile printing technology, the Monna Lisa, can reduce water consumption significantly (by up to 97%). It also reduces dye contamination and minimises textile waste.  

About Ahluwalia
Founder and Creative Director, Priya Ahluwalia, launched her eponymous multi-award-winning label in 2018, after graduating from the MA Menswear course at the University of Westminster. The label combines elements from the designer’s dual Indian-Nigerian heritage and London roots, and explores the potential of vintage and surplus clothing by giving existing materials new life through textile techniques. Ahluwalia is informed by art, music, literature, and culture across the African and Asian diasporas to create an intersection between near and far, and past and present, making Ahluwalia both nostalgic and futuristic at the same time. Ahluwalia is deemed a pioneer in the fashion industry and is regularly featured in the press from all over the world, from the New York Times and i-D to Vogue and many more. Ahluwalia is available in renowned stores worldwide and on Ahluwalia.world.

Contact:
Gemma Coen
gemma.coen@epson.eu 

^{_____________________________
i} Using an average of 200g per children’s garment, the total weight for 1,024 garments is 205kg. Filling roughly 28 bin bags, averaging 7.2kg per bag.
ⁱⁱ 62,991,755 million kids aged under 16 years in Europe multiplied by 13 items binned annually.
ⁱⁱⁱ If 812.6 million items of kids’ clothes were stacked up (assuming roughly 1 cm per item), the pile would be approx. 8,120,000 metres high. This would reach around 918 times the height of Mount Everest (8,848 m).
^iv 62,991,755 million kids aged under 16 years in Europe multiplied by 64 items of children’s clothing bought each year.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/13ea6bc6-bc9d-44c1-8d69-795729b822ce