A worker in a garment or footwear company can read about circular design in a manual; however, the lesson tends to stick better when they sort a batch of used garments by fibre type and see for themselves which ones can be recycled. It also sticks when they trace a fabric back through its suppliers and notice where the information runs out. Experiential learning is built on this point. Adults learn well when they apply new knowledge to real tasks and then think about what happened.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This approach has a long history in adult education. In 1984, David Kolb described learning as a cycle.\u00a0It starts with a concrete experience, moves through reflection and the forming of general ideas, and returns to practice through experimentation. Many people in the textile, clothing, leather and footwear (TCLF) industries learned their trade on the job, so this way of learning is already familiar to them. A survey carried out by the GREEN-LIFT partners among 90 employers and workers in Sweden, Italy, Greece and Spain found that 70% of respondents want hands-on learning. \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This approach addresses the sector’s growing demand for green skills. The \u2018EU strategy for sustainable and circular textiles\u2019 calls for products that last longer and are easier to repair and recycle. Reaching that goal depends on people making different choices in their daily work, both on the factory floor and in design offices. The JRC\u2019s ‘GreenComp framework’ describes sustainability competences such as systems thinking. Competences like this are hard to build through lectures alone. Mapping a real supply chain or comparing the footprint of two materials gives learners a problem they can work through and discuss with colleagues.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Digital skills follow the same logic. The ‘Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) (EU) 2024\/1781’ introduces a \u2018digital product passport\u2019. The passport will hold information on a product\u2019s materials and on how it should be handled at the end of its life. Textiles are among the first product groups expected to be covered. Workers will need to record and check this data as part of their job. Practice with traceability tools or simple simulations helps workers apply what they learn about the legal requirements.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There is also a human side. The findings of the needs analysis, summarised in the GREEN-LIFT Framework, show that older and lower-skilled workers may feel anxious about new technologies and hesitant to take part in training. A practice setting where mistakes cost nothing can make new tools less intimidating. The Framework also points out that technical training alone is often not enough. Workers move through change more easily when career guidance and mentoring are offered alongside the training. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The consortium is currently developing the GREEN-LIFT training modules, which will be offered through an online learning platform. The plan is for the modules to combine short learning units with practical activities and self-assessment, so that participants can apply what they learn and check their own progress. At a later stage of the project, the GREEN-LIFT Labs will bring learners and companies together to work on practical challenges from the sector. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
References<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n Bianchi, G., Pisiotis, U. & Cabrera Giraldez, M. (2022). GreenComp: The European Sustainability Competence Framework.<\/em> Publications Office of the European Union. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.2760\/13286<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n European Commission. (2022). EU Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles.<\/em> (COM (2022) 141 final). https:\/\/eur-lex.europa.eu\/legal-content\/EN\/TXT\/?uri=CELEX:52022DC0141<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n GREEN-LIFT Consortium. (2026a). The GREEN-LIFT Framework for the Green Reskilling\/Upskilling of the TCLF Workforce <\/em>(Deliverable D2.2, Version 2.0). https:\/\/greenliftproject.eu\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/D2.2.-GREENLIFT-Framework-for-the-Green-Re-and-Upskilling-of-TCFL-Workforce-1.pdf<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n GREEN-LIFT Consortium (2026b, May 13). Shaping the future of fashion: what 90 textile professionals say about the future of TCLF. https:\/\/greenliftproject.eu\/2026\/05\/13\/shaping-the-future-of-fashion-what-90-textile-professionals-say-about-the-future-of-tclf\/<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n Kolb, D.A. (1984). Experiential Learning: Experience as the Source of Learning and Development. <\/em>Prentice-Hall. (PDF) Experiential Learning: Experience As The Source Of Learning And Development<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n Regulation (EU) 2024\/1781 of the European Parliament and Council of 13 June 2024 establishing a framework for the setting of ecodesign requirements for sustainable products. (2024). Official Journal of the European Union<\/em>, L, 2024\/1781. https:\/\/eur-lex.europa.eu\/legal-content\/EN\/TXT\/?uri=CELEX:32024R1781<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A worker in a garment or footwear company can read about circular design in a manual; however, the lesson tends to stick better when they sort a batch of used garments by fibre type and see for themselves which ones can be recycled. It also sticks when they trace a fabric back through its suppliers […]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":3123,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[98],"class_list":["post-3122","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/greenliftproject.eu\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3122","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/greenliftproject.eu\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/greenliftproject.eu\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greenliftproject.eu\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greenliftproject.eu\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3122"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/greenliftproject.eu\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3122\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3125,"href":"https:\/\/greenliftproject.eu\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3122\/revisions\/3125"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greenliftproject.eu\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3123"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/greenliftproject.eu\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3122"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greenliftproject.eu\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3122"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greenliftproject.eu\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3122"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}