
Industry co-operation important to increase textile recycling
Since the beginning of the year, it has been mandatory to leave used textiles for reuse or recycling. But what is the state of textile recycling in Europe? The IVL-led project Sustainable Clothing Futures has investigated this.
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Maja Dahlbom
The EU's textile strategy plays an important role in creating a competitive market for recycled textile fibres. It's key to increasing the share of recycled fibres on the market
, says Maja Dahlbom, project manager and expert in textiles and consumption at IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute.
According to a previous IVL study, Swedes throw away an average of nine kilograms of textiles per person per year. Increased textile recycling is in line with the EU's strategy for sustainable and circular textiles, and is necessary to create a more sustainable textile industry.
This project evaluated European companies involved in fibre-to-fibre recycling. Four of the companies work with chemical recycling and two use mechanical methods. The analysis focused on three parameters: technological maturity, business models and how the product – recycled fibres in new clothing or textile applications – was integrated with customers and end-users. The results show that mechanical recyclers are generally more mature than chemical recyclers, especially in terms of technology.
There are several challenges to scaling up fibre-to-fibre recycling. One is achieving economic sustainability in collection and sorting, as the process of sorting textiles is costly and labour-intensive. Another is the high prevalence of mixed fibre types, which makes recycling more difficult; different fibre types need to be separated in order to be recycled efficiently
, says Amanda Martvall, textile expert at IVL.
To succeed, it is not enough that the recycled fibre is of sufficient quality to be spun into yarn, companies must also have a sustainable business model and build strong relationships with their customers so that the recycled material is used in new clothes that consumers want to buy
, says Dahlbom.
Scaling up fibre-to-fibre recycling also requires strong industry integration. Collaboration between large and small companies is essential in building a more sustainable textile industry.
New textile fibres are often cheaper than recycled, which makes it challenging to develop price-competitive clothing and textile products that contain recycled fibres. Therefore, it's important that this activity is supported by legislation
, says Dahlbom.
The project also examined several other aspects of how the future of clothing can be more sustainable, such as how digital platforms can encourage consumers to act more circularly by buying second-hand, renting clothes or mending damaged garments. It also explored new recycling technologies and evaluated policies for a more sustainable clothing industry and consumption.
The report: Maturity of fibre-to-fibre recycling in Europe External link, opens in new window.
For more information, contact:
Maja Dahlbom, maja.dahlbom@ivl.se, tel. +46 (0)10-788 65 83
Formas funded the project, which is a collaboration between IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute, Profu, the Swedish School of Textiles in Borås and Lund University. Read more about the project Sustainable Clothing Futures.