Sorting It Out: Fashion for Good, Circle Economy say we can recirculate 74% of clothing fiber back into the supply-chain

September 29, 2022 | Jim Lane

From the Netherlands comes news that the Sorting for Circularity Europe project has released its report after 16 months in their conclave. The white smoke has emerged from the chimney, habemus papam, and the news is that 74% of low-value, post-consumer textiles is readily available for fibre-to-fibre recycling in six European countries. That’s a total of 494,000 tonnes, and €74M/year back into the economy via reintroducing sorted and recycled textiles back into the value chain.

The groups Fashion for Good and Circle Economy did the major lifting on this — kudos to them. Circle Economy also released a Recycler’s Database and an open source Sorters Handbook.

The number is low right now. Only 2% of post consumer textiles are diverted to fibre-to-fibre recycling.

The countries? Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, and the United Kingdom were the focal points. The project utilized Near Infrared (NIR) technology to determine garment composition, traditionally a task performed manually, to look at 21 tonnes of post-consumer garments. On-the-ground examinations were performed over two time periods, autumn/winter 2021 and spring/summer 2022, to account for seasonal changes in the types of garments entering sorting facilities.

What’s available? It’s 42% cotton, 32% material blends including 12% polycotton. 21% can be recycled mechanically and 53% is ready for chemical recycling.

The community

Two open digital platforms, Reverse Resources and Refashion Recycle, are best enabling the connections driving circularity. Reverse Resources have 39 active recyclers and 32 active waste handlers/sorters on their platform, while Refashion Recycle have 103 recyclers and 66 sorters onboarded onto their platform.

The Clothing Flow

FLOW OF END-OF-USE TEXTILES FROM MARKET PLACEMENT TO FINAL DESTINATIONS. SOURCE: CIRCLE ECONOMY AND FASHION FOR GOOD (2022)

The Report backstory

Sorting for Circularity aims to (re)capture textile waste, expedite the implementation of game changing technologies and drive circularity within the fashion value chain.

The framework is based on insights from the Fashion for Good and Aii collaborative report “Unlocking the Trillion Dollar Fashion Decarbonisation Opportunity”, which charts a trajectory for the industry to meet its net-zero ambition by 2050, highlighting the potential and significant impact on carbon emissions in the industry through material efficiency, extended and re- use of waste. Created with scalability in mind, the project was first initiated in Europe, and has expanded to include Sorting for Circularity India.

The Bottom Line

We often say that renewable fuels & chemicals are the Kings & Queens of the Circular Economy because they utilize the very emission we are trying to get rid of, waste carbon dioxide, while reducing the demand for petroleum. But clothing may well be the Pope — highly visible, influential and forgiving. It’s never too late to repent, goes the saying in Christian circles, and so it is with fashion — every season brings fresh ideas. Also, we’d note that style choices are so much more noticeable and copied than almost anything short of food, and Circularity couldn’t get a better boost than by focusing on the things we wear. Fibers have a unique power to help change the world.

Next steps for consumers, policymakers and the textile industry

The report’s authors have a long to-do list, depending on where you fit in the value chain.

Collectors, sorters, and recyclers

- Use the Sorters Handbook and the Sorting for Circularity Europe report as a guide to conduct further trials and continue to build a knowledge of fibre composition, sorting and recycling processes. This could be further supported by local governments, industry and civil society engaging with textile or household waste streams.
- Provide open-access to trials and data that can support and direct investment into necessary infrastructure.
- Update and utilize the Recycler’s Database to build knowledge about mechanical and chemical recycling destinations.
- Join digital platforms such as Reverse Resources and Refashion Recycle to unlock and connect supply with demand for post-consumer textiles.

Brands and manufacturers – 74% of the low value post-consumer textiles could be used as feedstock for recycling. Whilst this is a considerable share, this still leaves 26% without a circular destination due to their composition, the presence of multiple layers and/or non-removable disruptors.

- Prioritize designing for appropriate lifecycles. Hence, products that are designed for longevity should have a strong focus on durability and longevity. Ultimately, recycling should be a last resort for textiles, in accordance with the waste hierarchy, and not a goal in itself.
- Further commit to adopting circular design practices prioritizing mono materiality, reducing disruptors where possible and incorporating recycled fibers into product portfolios as mandated by the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation in the European Union.

Policymakers – Sorting activities in European countries are at risk of being unable to continue their business as usual if the share of these lower value textiles in volumes collected continues to increase. Additionally, current sorting and logistics costs may pose a financial challenge for chemical recyclers to purchase these sorted textiles at scale.

- Consider the introduction of EPR schemes with enough financial support to alleviate pressure on the business case for sorters to handle future volumes of collected textiles.
- Introduce a green premium subsidy to help reduce the price of recycled fibers as the industry scales up. This subsidy may alleviate cost pressure on recyclers and thus potentially facilitate the purchase of non renewable feedstock at prices that compete with the other commercial destinations e.g. wipers.
- Introduce legislation at different stages of clothing and textiles life cycles to influence the potential for recycling of the non-rewearable fraction of PCT, such as the introduction of mandatory ecodesign requirements that include a perspective on fibre-to-fibre recyclability of products.
- Assess any unintended consequences that may emerge from the establishment of mandatory targets for preparation for reuse and recycling (under evaluation by 2024 by the European Commission).
- Align rules for sorting criteria for reuse and recycling across the EU to help harmonize the sorting industry’s standards and requirements to prepare textiles for reuse and recycling.
- Consider how digital labelling and product passports will enhance material traceability efforts in the long term for the end-of-use textiles value chain.

Consumers

Take into account that the purchase and disposal choices you make also have an influence on the end of use of these textiles. As far as possible, try to prioritize purchases of mono material products, or blends limited to two compositions, limited aesthetic trims and accessories. As a citizen, follow the instructions from your municipality to correctly dispose of your clothing and home textiles. Try repairing, reselling and swapping as activities to extend the lifetime of your products.

Reaction from the stakeholders

“As fibre-to-fibre textile recycling commitments and policies increase, as well as the amount of textile waste collected, the infrastructure required to drive the move towards circular systems requires significant investment to scale. To make informed investment decisions, as well as assess the business case for monetization through recycling, a deeper understanding of the characteristics of today’s European post-consumer textiles landscape is needed. This project lays the knowledge foundation that will enable key players to set into motion.” — Katrin Ley, Managing Director at Fashion for Good.