Textile to Textile - The Role of Recyclers
The linear textile model is nearing its end. With mounting regulatory pressure—such as Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) and the Product Environmental Footprint Category Rules (PEFCR)—circularity is no longer optional. While PET bottle recycling is well established, textile-to-textile (T2T) recycling remains in an earlier, more complex stage. Recyclers are now central to this transition, though many are still unprepared for the scale and complexity required.
T2T recycling is just one part of a broader shift. Reducing overproduction, promoting reuse and repair, and rethinking design and consumption are equally vital to minimizing the industry’s environmental impact.
The urgency is clear: the global textile industry produces 92 million tonnes of waste annually, yet less than 1% is recycled into new clothing (Ellen MacArthur Foundation). Unlike downcycling or waste-to-energy methods, T2T recycling preserves material quality, enabling the creation of new garments from old ones. The goal is a closed-loop system that cuts waste and reliance on virgin resources.
In the EU, policy is driving momentum. The Waste Framework Directive mandates separate textile collection by 2025, while the EU Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles promotes reduced virgin material use and greater resource efficiency. These frameworks are catalyzing investment in sorting infrastructure, digital product passports, and improved recycling capabilities.
This Focus Topic explores the current state of T2T recycling—from technologies and feedstocks to regulatory context and innovation needs. It highlights both progress and ongoing challenges, showing how T2T recycling can help reduce waste and build a more sustainable textile industry.
What will it take to make textile-to-textile recycling truly scalable?
About this guide:
As the organizer of PERFORMANCE DAYS, we are pleased to present this Focus Topic dedicated to Textile-to-Textile (T2T) recycling—a key component of the transition toward a circular textile economy. This overview is informed by in-depth research and insights from across the industry, including input from recyclers, material innovators, brands, and policymakers. It offers a clear look at the technologies, materials, and systems shaping T2T recycling, as well as the regulatory landscape driving its adoption.
Our goal is to support exhibitors and visitors alike in understanding the evolving circularity landscape. By promoting transparency and sharing current best practices, we aim to empower better decisions and encourage more sustainable sourcing, design, and production choices across the industry.
CALL TO ACTON:
Empower brands, mills, and recyclers to collaborate effectively across the circular value chain!
Promote transparency and traceability by supporting tools like Digital Product Passports and fiber identification!
Accelerate the adoption of scalable textile-to-textile solutions through innovation showcases and policy alignment!
Inspire material-smart design choices that prioritize recyclability, mono-material use, and end-of-life planning from the start!
Key takeaways
True Textile Recycling Is Still Rare
Despite growing attention, less than 1% of textiles are recycled back into textiles. Most recycled polyester still comes from PET bottles, not clothing. Scaling true textile recycling is crucial for achieving fashion circularity.
Design Must Match Recycling Capabilities
Mechanical recycling suits cotton and wool; synthetics like polyester and nylon need chemical or enzymatic methods. Blends, coatings, and elastane remain challenges.
Legislation: Support policy frameworks that reward circularity
Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), the EU Textile Strategy, and Digital Product Passports are making recyclability and traceability mandatory — forcing brands and suppliers to rethink design, sourcing, and end-of-life planning.
Smart Sorting Unlocks Scale
Without clear fiber identification, recyclers cannot scale. AI-driven sorting, DPP systems, and traceability tools like blockchain or RFID are enabling cleaner input streams.
Design for Circularity from the Start
Products must be designed for disassembly, mono-materiality, and recyclability. Elastane limits, avoidant fiber blends, and pre-treated coatings should all be considered early in the design process.
Collaboration Is Crucial: Build traceable, certified supply chains
Brands, recyclers, mills, policymakers, and tech providers must co-invest, share data, and jointly scale infrastructure.
What’s needed now is coordinated investment in scalable infrastructure, fiber-specific technologies, and transparent data systems to make textile-to-textile recycling a viable reality.
Table of Content
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Why Textile-to-Textile Recycling Matters
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Policy and Regulatory Landscape
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Overview of Recycling Processes
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Focus on Material Feedstocks
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Key Technologies Driving T2T Recycling
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Standards, Certifications, and Traceability
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Environmental Impact and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)
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Barriers and Challenges to Scale
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The Path Forward: Strategic Actions for Progress
Mapping the Circular Flow of Materials from Collection to Reuse:
How does a supply chain for Textile 2 Textile Recycling look like?
To make circularity work in practice, we need a clear view of how materials actually move. Textile-to-textile recycling relies on a supply chain that connects waste collection, sorting, recycling, and remanufacturing — all the way back to design. This overview breaks down each step in the loop and shows what it takes to turn used textiles into new ones.
Textile-to-Textile Recycling Processes Overview
Which recycling processes enable true circularity in textiles?
Textile recycling is essential for building a circular fashion system. The three main methods—mechanical, thermo-mechanical, and chemical recycling—offer different strengths depending on fiber type, contamination level, and desired end use. Emerging innovations—including hybrid recycling, enzymatic processes, and AI-enabled sorting—are accelerating progress, particularly when combined with tools like Digital Product Passports. As policy, infrastructure, and technology align, recycling systems are becoming more intelligent and adaptable—bringing the industry closer to scalable, closed-loop solutions.
This overview helps compare each method based on key criteria like feedstock compatibility, energy use, decolorisation, and fiber quality, reinforcing the need to match the right process to the right material.
What are the Key Fiber Types in Textile-to-Textile Recycling?
MATERIAL FEEDSTOCKS IN FOCUS
Over 60% of the world’s fiber consumption is synthetic—mostly polyester—making large-scale textile-to-textile (T2T) recycling a critical step toward a circular fashion system. While polyester leads in recycling rates, it's primarily sourced from PET bottles rather than old textiles. Cotton and wool, on the other hand, are typically mechanically recycled, but the process weakens fibers and faces challenges with sorting. Polyamide (nylon), commonly found in performance wear, needs more advanced chemical recycling methods, which are still in early stages of development. Each fiber type brings its own set of challenges and potential, underscoring the need for tailored, material-specific recycling strategies to move the industry forward. Below is a breakdown of the key characteristics and considerations for recycling four major fiber types:
POLYESTER
- Most widely recycled synthetic fiber, primarily sourced from PET bottles
- Suitable for thermo-mechanical (rPET) and advanced chemical recycling (depolymerization)
- Chemical recycling enables virgin-equivalent output, but still limited in availability and cost-effective scaling
POLYAMIDE
- Requires chemical recycling due to its complex structure.
- Closed-loop nylon systems are emerging but not yet widely scaled.
- Elastane blends and finishes further complicate processing.
Tackling Textile Sustainability:
Key challenges in recycling, feedstock and regulation
The textile industry faces mounting sustainability challenges, particularly with polyester production. As the EU Green Deal encourages recycled polyester (rPET) from waste plastic bottles, competition for this feedstock has intensified, with beverage packaging and textiles vying for limited rPET supplies. With less than 1% of textiles currently being recycled, the scarcity of rPET underscores the need for advanced textile-specific recycling methods.
To address this, the industry must innovate in two key areas: closed-loop recycling where textile waste is recycled back into high-quality fibers and alternative feedstocks, such as bio-based materials. Adopting these solutions will help brands not only meet Green Deal regulations but also remain competitive in a market that increasingly values sustainable and responsibly sourced products.
If you want to learn about solutions beyond bottles, visit one of our previous focus topics and click here.
A closer look at current and upcoming regulations
Checklist
Preparing your business for upcoming regulations
- Perform due diligence: Map your supply chain, identify high-risk areas, and implement risk management strategies to address issues like forced labor.
- Build supply chain traceability: Implement systems to track and increase transparency, focusing on high-risk regions and suppliers.
- Engage suppliers: Collaborate with partners to assess compliance, implement mitigating measures, and include forced labor prohibitions in contracts.
- Collaborate with stakeholders: Work with industry peers and local entities to tackle forced labor collectively.
- Plan for responsible disengagement: If risks can’t be mitigated, exit supply chains ethically to minimize harm and protect your reputation.
What is happening across the supply chain?
Sustainability efforts are increasingly focused on different stages of the supply chain, often organized into Tiers 1, 2, 3 and 4 . These tiers represent the sequential phases of production, from raw material sourcing to final product assembly, each with unique environmental and ethical challenges. By understanding sustainability in the context of these tiers, brands can target specific areas such as responsible material sourcing ( =Tier 3), clean manufacturing practices for yarns and fabrics (=Tier 2), and ethical labor standards in product assembly (=Tier 1). This tiered approach provides a framework for implementing comprehensive, stage-specific sustainability measures throughout the supply chain.
Four Tier Supply Chain Model. Source: WRI and Aii (2021)
Provided by reports.fashionforgood.com
Here you will find an overview of the most relevant certifications within the textile industry,
divided into the areas:
LCA and environmental impact:
Measuring sustainability across the lifecycle
What is the European Union’s Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) Framework?
The European Union’s Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) framework offers a comprehensive method for assessing a product’s environmental impacts throughout its entire lifecycle. By standardizing sustainability assessments, PEF is set to significantly influence supply chain decisions, consumer behavior, and corporate sustainability efforts. It aligns with the EU Green Deal, which targets carbon neutrality by 2050 and substantial emissions reductions by 2030, reinforcing the EU’s commitment to achieving a sustainable and low-carbon economy. PEF expands on Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), a proven method for evaluating environmental impacts such as greenhouse gas emissions, water use, and resource depletion. PEF provides a more comprehensive approach by assessing a product’s full environmental footprint from start to finish, promoting more sustainable practices across industries.
Enhancing Consistency with Product Category Rules (PCRs)
PEF strengthens LCA with Product Category Rules (PCRs), sector-specific guidelines that ensure consistent, relevant, and accurate sustainability assessments across industries. These rules enhance PEF’s reliability for businesses and policymakers, making it a standardized tool for evaluating sustainability in various sectors.
Focus on Carbon and Climate Goals
A key feature of PEF is its focus on carbon-specific tools, such as the Carbon Environmental Footprint (CEF) and Carbon Footprint (CCF). These tools measure greenhouse gas emissions and help businesses align with global climate goals, including the Paris Agreement, by tracking and reducing their carbon impact.
Implementation Challenges
Despite its potential, PEF is still evolving, with many industries awaiting finalized PCRs, which limits its applicability. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) often face challenges with PEF’s complexity and resource demands. Additionally, inconsistent LCA data presents a barrier, and ensuring alignment with non-EU standards is critical for the framework’s global adoption.
Quantifying Carbon Impact:
How the Higg Index drives
emissions transparency in fashion
Purpose
The Higg Index, developed by Cascale (formerly Sustainable Apparel Coalition), is a set of tools to help companies assess and improve sustainability performance across the apparel and textile supply chain. It aims to promote transparency, drive sustainability, and allow brands to evaluate their environmental, social, and labor impacts in a standardized way.
Coverage
The Higg Index evaluates key sustainability areas at various stages of production, including water usage, carbon emissions, worker conditions, and chemical safety. It provides companies with insights to assess, compare, and improve their practices while communicating sustainability efforts more transparently to consumers.
Challenges
The Higg Index has some limitations, including a reliance on self-reporting, which can lead to bias and inconsistencies. It may also struggle to capture complex supply chains, especially in regions with limited data or for smaller suppliers. The tool may not fully address emerging sustainability issues like circularity or broader social impacts, and its industry-wide application can be affected by varying regional standards.
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The Higg Materials Sustainability Index (Higg MSI) evaluates the environmental impact of raw materials and processing methods during the yarn and fabric stages, quantifying factors like water use, energy, and emissions to guide sustainable material choices. |
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The Higg Facility Environmental Module (Higg FEM) tracks the environmental performance of manufacturing facilities, focusing on waste management, chemical use, and energy efficiency. Its extension, the Verified Facility Environmental Module (VFEM), adds third-party verification to enhance data credibility and transparency. |
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The Higg Facility Social & Labor Module (Higg FSLM) assesses social and labor conditions in manufacturing facilities, addressing areas such as fair wages, worker safety, and health standards. |
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The Higg Product Module (Higg PM) is a lifecycle assessment tool that measures the environmental impact of products across their lifecycle, covering carbon footprint, water use, and chemical impacts. It enables brands to compare materials and processes, reduce their footprint, and enhance transparency with consumers. |
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The Higg Brand and Retail Module (BRM) assesses the environmental and social impacts of brand and retail operations, focusing on transportation, packaging, supply chains, and employee well-being to support sustainability goals. |
Driving Sustainability:
Textile Exchange's standards and global impact
Textile Exchange is a global non-profit advancing sustainability in the textile industry by promoting the adoption of sustainable materials and practices. It develops and manages standards to ensure responsible sourcing, use of recycled materials, and adherence to animal welfare principles. Collaborating with brands, manufacturers, and farmers, it fosters transparency and accountability across global supply chains.
Certifications: Known for the Global Recycled Standard, Recycled Claim Standard, Responsible Wool Standard, Responsible Down Standard, Responsible Mohair Standard, and Organic Content Standard, covering organic, recycled, and ethically sourced materials.
Services: Offers support for implementing standards, training, and industry data through tools. Textile Exchange also hosts the annual Textile Sustainability Conference, connecting industry leaders on sustainability across global supply chains.
WHATS NEXT?
Textile Exchange introduces the Materials Matter Standard:
Textile Exchange is driving sustainability in the textile industry with its new Materials Matter Standard. This comprehensive standard integrates climate, nature, and social objectives into the production and processing of raw materials, encompassing animal fibers, recycled materials, and potentially future inclusions like cashmere and MMCF. It utilizes the Content Claim Standard to track certified materials and aims to streamline consumer communication through unified claims and labeling.
The pilot version of the standard was introduced in mid-2024, with the final version set for release by mid-2025 and mandatory implementation by mid-2026. The Materials Matter Standard will provide a voluntary sustainability certification, harmonizing existing standards and incorporating climate and nature goals into certification processes. It includes both practice-based criteria and outcome-based indicators to measure compliance, empowering brands and retailers to confidently communicate about certified materials.
To further address sustainability challenges, the Materials Matter Standard provides a consistent metric for comparing fabric types, featuring an updated Life Cycle Assessment (LCA+). It aims to enhance transparency, improve recycling rates, and offer reliable sustainability assessments. Unveiled at the 2024 Textile Exchange Conference, the standard incorporates regenerative practices, land use, human rights, and animal welfare, with a traceability system (Trackit) and the Content Claim Standard ensuring transparency and accountability.
Key take-aways
Unified system for multiple materials: The Materials Matter Standard consolidates various materials under a single framework, streamlining processes and enhancing certification efficiency.
Measurable progress: The standard sets clear criteria and tools for measuring outcomes, guiding the industry towards science-based climate and nature targets.
Consumer awareness: The new certification mark, Materials Matter Certified, aims to become a recognized symbol for sustainable choices in fashion and textiles.
Regulatory alignment: Emphasizing transparency and sustainability, the standard helps brands meet regulatory demands for environmental and social impact reporting.
Practice-based and outcome-based criteria: It includes criteria to measure and acknowledge compliance, aiding brands and retailers in communicating about certified materials.
Transition period: The transition to the unified standard will be optional initially, becoming mandatory by mid-2026.
The Materials Matter Standard aligns with several existing certifications to create a unified and cohesive framework. These include:
- Global Recycled Standard (GRS)
- Recycled Claim Standard (RCS)
- Responsible Wool Standard (RWS)
- Responsible Mohair Standard (RMS)
- Responsible Alpaca Standard (RAS)
- Responsible Down Standard (RDS)
Adding sustainable practices of MMCF production.
Beyond Certification:
A holistic approach to supply chain transparency
Certifications play a crucial role in advancing transparency within the textile industry, but they are not a comprehensive solution. While they focus on specific criteria such as material safety, organic content, and labor practices, they often fail to address the full complexity of a supply chain’s environmental and social impact. For example, they may overlook important factors like microplastic shedding, water-use efficiency, or the carbon footprint from transportation and logistics. This limited scope can create blind spots in sustainability strategies, as key issues fall outside the certification’s criteria. Furthermore, certifications typically rely on fixed audits, which may not capture dynamic changes in the supply chain. Suppliers can inadvertently—or sometimes deliberately—deviate from certified practices between audits, and without continuous monitoring, brands may rely on outdated or incomplete data, undermining their transparency goals.
- Expanding beyond standard certifications
Brands need a holistic approach to supply chain oversight. Tools like letters of conformity can complement certifications by showcasing specific supplier practices, such as water-saving technologies or ethical standards, but must be rigorously validated to prevent misinformation. Technologies like blockchain and real-time monitoring can enhance traceability and address gaps left by traditional certifications. - Challenges for smaller suppliers
Certification processes are costly and resource-intensive, often excluding smaller suppliers despite their sustainable practices. To foster inclusivity, brands should offer financial and technical support, form partnerships, or adopt alternative validation methods to help these suppliers demonstrate their efforts, promoting accountability and equity. - Evolving certification standards
Certifications must broaden their scope to address carbon emissions, circularity, and emerging technologies while becoming more efficient to reduce costs. By combining certifications with advanced tools, partnerships, and support for smaller suppliers, brands can create a more inclusive and impactful sustainability framework.
What are the key steps in the third-party
process for the textile supply chain?
Third-party certification in the textile industry involves rigorous, multi-step verification across the supply chain, ensuring compliance with various standards at multiple certification levels, from raw materials to finished products.
The certification process often operates at multiple levels within the supply chain. For example, it may begin with verifying raw material sourcing—ensuring that cotton, wool, or synthetic fibers are responsibly harvested or produced. It then extends to manufacturing, where third-party audits evaluate the adherence of factories to criteria like waste management, chemical use, and energy consumption. Finally, certification ensures that finished products, ready for consumers, reflect these sustainable practices.
What are third party companies providing independent audits and certifications for various sustainability and quality standards?
Various certification bodies conduct vital audits and grant certifications to ensure sustainability standards are met within the textile industry. These organizations are instrumental in guiding brands and manufacturers through intricate regulatory requirements while upholding ethical and environmental principles. By verifying that products meet criteria for safety, ethical production, and eco-friendliness, these certifiers promote greater transparency and accountability across the textile supply chain. Below is an overview of some of the most widely recognized certification bodies:
Control Union
Role: Focused on sustainability and supply chain certifications, particularly in organic, recycled, and fair-trade textiles.
Services: Offers traceability and verification services, working closely with brands to ensure responsible sourcing, ethical labor practices, and environmental compliance across global supply chain.
SGS
(Société Générale de Surveillance)
Role: A leading global provider of testing, inspection, and certification, especially for sustainability in textiles.
Services: Provides product quality and safety testing, chemical compliance (RSLs), and traceability audits, supporting eco-friendly and socially responsible manufacturing.
Ecocert
Role: Known for organic and fair-trade certifications, promoting sustainable sourcing in textiles and cosmetics.
Services: Offers eco-friendly manufacturing certification and biodegradability testing, promoting transparency and ethical production.
Intertek
Role: Specializes in quality, safety, and sustainability testing across textile supply chains.
Services: Conducts physical testing, performance assessments, social audits, and life-cycle analyses to help brands ensure safe, sustainable products.
Bureau Veritas
Role: Provides inspection and certification for social, environmental, and safety standards in textiles.
Services: Offers testing for flammability and chemical safety, traceability solutions, and sustainability training, supporting a transparent and responsible supply chain.
How to certify a product as sustainable
Step 1
Select a Certification Standard: Identify a sustainability standard (e.g., GOTS, OEKO-TEX, Cradle to Cradle) that aligns with your product’s environmental and social goals.
Step 2
Prepare Supply Chain: Ensure that raw materials, production processes, and suppliers adhere to the specific requirements of the chosen certification.
Step 3
Engage a Certification Body: Engage a recognized certification body (e.g., Control Union, SGS) to conduct the necessary compliance audits.
Step 4
Complete Audits and Inspections: Facilitate thorough inspections, testing, and documentation reviews to verify compliance with certification standards.
Step 5
Maintain Compliance: Regularly monitor operations and implement improvements to maintain certification standards for renewals and re-certifications.
Deep Dive:
How are biodegradable textiles tested & certified?
As the demand for sustainable alternatives in the textile industry grows, biodegradable synthetic textiles are becoming an essential solution. These materials are designed to degrade naturally without releasing harmful microplastics. To validate their environmental compatibility, certification processes assess their biodegradability under specific conditions such as air, soil, marine, water, and wastewater systems. Certifications for biodegradable synthetic textiles assure consumers and industries that these materials are environmentally safe and can decompose under specified conditions. With testing and validation by trusted bodies, these certifications promote the adoption of sustainable textiles while addressing the global need to reduce plastic pollution and microplastic waste. These certifications are pivotal for ensuring the performance and sustainability of such textiles, relying on standardized testing protocols of ASTM International Standards or ISO (International Organization for Standardization) Standards.
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ASTM International Standards or |
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ISO Standards (International Organization for Standardization) |
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ASTM D5511-18 & ISO 15985
Anaerobic biodegradability under high solids
Evaluates anaerobic biodegradability under high-solids conditions, such as in anaerobic digesters or landfills. Frequently used to assess the decomposition of plastics in oxygen-deprived environments.
ASTM D5988 & ISO 17556
Aerobic biodegradability in soil
Determines aerobic biodegradability of plastics in soil systems. Helps verify material suitability for natural soil disposal.
ASTM D6691-17
Aerobic biodegradation in marine environments
Tests biodegradability in marine environments using a microbial consortium or natural seawater inoculum. Critical for evaluating materials that may enter aquatic or oceanic systems.
ASTM D5210-92
Anaerobic biodegradation in wastewater
Assesses anaerobic biodegradability in municipal sewage sludge. Useful for analyzing material breakdown in wastewater treatment plants.
ISO 14851
Aerobic biodegradability in water through oxygen demand
Measures the ultimate aerobic biodegradability in an aqueous medium through oxygen demand. Widely applied to biodegradable plastics intended for water environments.
Leading the way:
VAUDE setting own sustainability standards
The VAUDE GREEN SHAPE initiative is a sustainability program by the German outdoor brand VAUDE, aimed at reinforcing their dedication to environmental and social responsibility. This program ensures that the brand's products adhere to strict sustainability criteria throughout their entire lifecycle—from material sourcing to the finished product. As part of VAUDE’s overarching commitment to sustainability and its ambition to achieve climate neutrality, GREEN SHAPE promotes environmental stewardship while inspiring other outdoor industry companies to embrace sustainable practices.
Purpose
The GREEN SHAPE initiative aims to produce eco-friendly and socially responsible products while minimizing environmental impact and upholding ethical manufacturing practices. This program embodies VAUDE's commitment to integrating sustainability into its core brand values. The initiative ensures all products meet transparent criteria, focusing on reducing CO2 emissions, utilizing sustainable materials like recycled fibers, supporting fair labor practices, and minimizing their overall environmental footprint.
Criteria
Products under the GREEN SHAPE initiative must comply with recognized certifications such as the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS), OEKO-TEX® Standard 100, and Fair Wear Foundation, guaranteeing adherence to rigorous social and environmental standards. Additionally, these products are required to meet VAUDE’s internal sustainability benchmarks.
Future Evolution
VAUDE plans to broaden the reach of GREEN SHAPE by enhancing product sustainability, increasing resource efficiency, and further lowering carbon emissions. The brand is committed to fostering new partnerships, improving transparency, and driving innovation in sustainable design and production methods.
What happens to this product at the end of its life?
It’s a question every designer and developer should ask from the start. Too often, garments end up unrecyclable due to blended fibers, excessive elastane, or constructions that hinder disassembly.
A key challenge in textile-to-textile recycling is the low quality of garments in collected bales, often due to mixed fibers, complex construction, and poor material choices. To enable high-value recycling, circularity must begin at the design stage.
✅DOs & ❌DON'Ts
✔ Design for Disassembly
Use mono-materials and simple constructions to make it easy to take garments apart for recycling.
✔ Choose Recyclable & Certified Materials
Select materials that are proven recyclable or made from certified post-consumer or post-industrial waste.
✔ Ensure Transparency
Implement Digital Product Passports or QR codes to share details about material content and recyclability.
✔ Collaborate with Recyclers
Align your design with the realities of existing recycling technologies to ensure it can be processed at end of life.
✔ Plan for End-of-Life from the Start
Design with a clear next step—whether recycling or biodegrading—built into the material and construction choices.
✘ Avoid Unrecyclable Fiber Blends
Avoid mixed fibers that can't be separated—especially blends of synthetic and natural fibers—as they block recycling.
✘ Don’t Overuse Elastane
Keep elastane below 7% (or the limit defined by your recycler) to preserve recyclability.
✘ Don’t Treat End-of-Life as an Afterthought
Recycling or biodegradation must be part of the design strategy from day one.
✘Don’t Confuse “Recycled” with “Circular”
Using recycled content is not enough—it must also be designed to be recycled again.
✘ If Not Recyclable, It Should Be Biodegradable
If recycling isn’t feasible, choose materials that can biodegrade safely without leaving harmful residues.
Sources:
- Fibersort by Valvan: https://www.valvan.com/en/solutions/textile-sorting-recyclingT
- RESYNTEX EU Project: https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/641942
- Fashion for Good – Sorting for Circularity Europeehttps://www.fashionforgood.com/our_news/sorting-for-circularity-europe-expands-to-address-rewearable-textile-crisis/x
Ioncell (Aalto University): https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acssuschemeng.0c05330t - Infinited Fiber Company – Technology: https://infinitedfiber.com/our-technology/
- Chemical Recycling of Mixed Textile Waste – Science Advancesi: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.ado6827l
- Enzymatic Separation of Cotton-Polyester (NC State University): https://news.ncsu.edu/2023/03/20/researchers-separate-cotton-from-polyester-in-blended-fabric/
- Enzymatic Recovery of Glucose and Polyester – ScienceDirectt: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0921344922005341o
- Hydrothermal Treatment for Fiber Separation – ACS Omega-https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsomega.3c09350t
Polycotton Textile Recycling – Nature Communicationse: - https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-55935-6x
EU Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textilest: - https://environment.ec.europa.eu/strategy/textiles-strategy_eni
EU Waste Framework Directive: - https://www.fashionforgood.com/our_news/creating-a-circular-system-to-accelerate-textile-recycling/?utm_source=chatgpt.com
https://environment.ec.europa.eu/topics/waste-and-recycling/waste-framework-directive_en - https://www.textile-platform.eu/news/textile-etp-wraps-up-t-rexs-policy-roundtable?utm_source=chatgpt.com
- https://www.eea.europa.eu/en/circularity/sectoral-modules/textiles
