End of life (EOL) refers to waste stream routes, primarily incineration and landfill. EOL flows should be composed of textile waste only. Textile waste includes items with no or limited resource value and no feasible onward market. Examples include textiles that do not meet reuse, recycling and remanufacturing requirements such as wet or contaminated textiles.
Energy Recovery refers to thermochemical processes which derives energy from waste textiles via combustion to produce electricity. It is often referred to as Energy from Waste (EfW).
It should be considered a last resort option, after all reuse and recycling options have been exhausted.
Energy from Waste: Key facts and why it matters
- A ban on landfill and EfW before prior sorting (non-domestic) may become mandatory in the UK in future [x].
- As of 2026, the EU is introducing a general prohibition (ban) on the destruction of certain categories of unsold consumer products. [x] According to the European Environment Agency (EEA), product destruction can include recycling (including shredding and dismantling), incineration and landfilling.
- There is currently a lack of open data and transparency regarding the handling of returned and unsold textile products, the extent of this issue is therefore ambiguous.
- By moving up the resource hierarchy, stakeholders can bypass EfW gate fees [x].
- There is great opportunity and economic value in diverting textiles away from incineration and landfill and up the Textiles Resource Hierarchy. Keeping materials at the top of the waste hierarchy by resale, rental and repair diversify business portfolios and enable income streams that are not dependent on the extraction of virgin materials.
Reduce: ready to take action? Check out the next steps for your business…
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Invest in innovation/ R&D.
To develop alternative EOL strategies and maximise value from textiles “waste”.
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Increase diversion to reuse and recycling.
For reuseable textiles (including unsold/ surplus products, products destined for destruction): can items be de-labelled or deconstructed to prioritise reuse and recycling? Strategies to design for EOL are set out in WRAP’s Circular Design Toolkit.
Enable collection and sorting of non-reuseable textiles to prioritise recycling. -
Form partnerships with reuse and recycling organisations to shift “waste” up the resource hierarchy and maximise value.
This could include optimising collection, sorting and separation of non-reusable items.
WRAP’s Textiles Policy Options Report sets out policy options that could help halve the quantity of textiles in residual waste over the next 10 years, including restrictions on landfill and incineration and separate collections.