REAS Balears generates 27.4 million in economic activity, but warns of the danger of ultra-fast fashion

PalmaThe Network of Alternative and Solidarity Economy of the Balearic Islands (REAS Balears) generated an economic activity of 27.4 million euros in 2025, representing an increase of 17% compared to the previous year. As explained this Monday by the president of REAS Balears, Maria Jaume, during the presentation of the entity's annual report, the 13 organizations that make up the network maintained 558 jobs throughout the past fiscal year.

Likewise, the association has warned of the rise of ultra-fast fashion in the Balearic market and has stated that the low quality of many of these garments makes reuse and recycling difficult, which increases waste management costs and environmental impact. In this regard, Jaume pointed out that the network's entities involved approximately 1,800 people, including workers and volunteers, during 2025. The president added that the report includes actions aimed at promoting the social and solidarity economy, as well as initiatives related to textile waste management.

In this area, she highlighted actions to demand institutional support in the face of rising costs for collection and treatment of textile waste, a situation she attributes to the saturation of the European second-hand clothing market. Likewise, she pointed out that more and more town councils are collaborating with the network's entities to address the increase in costs associated with managing this type of waste.

"Collapse" of used textiles

The entity has also warned of a "collapse" in the used textile sector in Europe, which it attributes to the expansion of ultra-fast fashion, the saturation of second-hand clothing, and the increase in collection, transport, and treatment costs. The entity warns that this situation puts at risk the viability of social entities dedicated to textile management and jobs linked to labor insertion, as the financing of a service that until now they have provided without sufficient coverage is not guaranteed.

In this context, REAS Baleares calls for moving towards a financing system that covers the real costs of the service, in line with the development of the extended producer responsibility system (SCRAP), as well as the implementation of reserved public tenders for social economy entities.