Clarification on recycling overall
Before we dive into the specific intricacies of textile recycling, we want to get one thing out of the way: recycling is not a magic fix for our waste problems. We find that recycling is often presented as having the potential to solve the climate crisis. However, a few things are often omitted:
Recycling should always be done with the goal to replace virgin materials and stop extracting more, not just add to the mix. Meanwhile, the Circular Economy prioritises prevention and reuse by reevaluating our consumption patterns and relationship with our environment more generally.
The fashion industry is no exception to the rule and often promotes textile recycling as a solution to mitigate its environmental impact. Yet, the reality behind the scenes tells a different story—one of limited capacity, downcycling, and borderline greenwashing.
For you to be a recycling expert by the end of this and an incorruptible citizen, here are some key things to navigate the world of textile recycling:
There are two types of recycling in this world: the real circular one and the not so useful one.
The first one is called closed-loop recycling. That means that a product is being recycled and used for the same purpose, being truly circular as it keeps the value of the product at the highest level. Here that means using textile fibres to make new garments.
The not so circular type of recycling is called open-loop recycling. This one, uses products from one stream to feed another one with recycled material. That is what we see happening in the fashion industry with the use of PET bottles being used to create recycled fibres, which is quite problematic because it creates a demand for PET bottles while not creating any solution for the textile waste stream (see dedicated article). The other side of this is the downcycling of some garments into rags, insulation and other by-products that devalue the material, only delaying the moment where this material is being disposed of (landfill or incineration).
Yes, only 1% of all discarded clothes (5.8 million tons just in the EU) is being recycled into new clothing items. This is a rather disappointing figure when we know that the fashion industry is expected to continue growing in coming years. The industry of fibre-to-fibre recycling, while being highly innovative, is facing immense challenges:
If mechanical recycling has existed for decades, it is typically limited to natural fibres and is mostly downcycling. Progression has been made to develop fibre-to-fibre recycling, but this technique cannot treat blends of synthetic fibres (which is what most garments are made of nowadays).
The emergence of chemical recycling has opened a door to the potential recycling of synthetic fibres and blends. Although, more research needs to be done in order to evaluate the environmental costs and benefits. Chemical recycling, as its name suggests, uses processes that are usually quite energy and chemicals intensive, using and polluting a water along the way. Again, we need to be cautious and supervise its development.
The textile recycling industry, while promising, is still in its infancy. And before it is able to recycle even 20% of our clothing, huge investments and changes will be necessary across the supply chain. That involves proper legislation for circularity and the involvement of all stakeholders. The entire industry has to create synergies as well as fund new activities around the collection and sorting of clothes for both reuse and recycling purposes. In the current state of things, it’s much more cost efficient to just send our waste away. That’s why regulations and incentives need to be created and most importantly enforced.
We should be supporting this industry that could create job and new business opportunities here in Europe, while developing circularity for our clothes. However, we can’t wait for it to come and save us from our unsustainable fashion consumption. There is a fundamental shift that is needed, and it is much deeper than designing recyclable items: it’s about putting the value back on our clothes and reject the disposable culture that brands are trying to push onto us.
As consumers, we hold the power to effect change. Embracing a more mindful approach to our fashion choices by buying fewer, high-quality items that endure longer can significantly impact the industry and simultaneously encourage brands to align themselves with true circular principles. Investing in durable pieces not only reduces waste but also facilitates repair and reuse, or eventually, recycling.
