European investigators have uncovered a large-scale scheme involving the illegal export of textile waste from Italy to Turkey, the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) said on Thursday.
Authorities seized several thousand tons of textile waste and confiscated assets worth around €12 million ($13.6 million) in Italy.
According to OLAF, the shipments consisted of difficult-to-recycle textiles with a high acrylic fibre content. The materials are not biodegradable and can remain in the environment for up to 200 years.
Investigators believe the waste was falsely declared as recyclable material to circumvent costly recycling requirements and environmental regulations.
The shipments to Turkey were allegedly part of a much larger operation. Italy's Carabinieri police said a suspected network illegally disposed of and stored more than 26,000 tons of textile waste. Twenty people are under investigation.
Working with the Italian Carabinieri and Turkish authorities, OLAF identified suspicious consignments through trade and customs data. Subsequent inspections in Turkey led to the seizure of around 4,200 tons of textile waste, the agency said.
The case highlights growing concerns within the European Union over the handling of textile waste. Millions of tons of textiles are discarded across the bloc each year, but only a fraction is recycled.
Stricter EU rules governing the treatment and export of textiles entered force in late 2025, aimed at preventing waste from being falsely labelled as recyclable goods and shipped abroad.
