Recycling is the process of reducing a product back to its basic material level, reprocessing those materials, and using them in new products, components or materials.
The high volumes of textiles currently discarded in general waste suggest there are opportunities for diversion from residual waste streams and to drive streams up the resource hierarchy, both for clothing and non-clothing textiles.
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Preparation for Recycling
Items that are not suitable for reuse but are suitable to be recycled must be prepared for recycling.
This can include sorting material via manual/automated means into feedstock to meet recycler requirements, as well as processing to remove non-target materials (known as 'disruptors’) such as zips and other attachments. -
Closed-loop/ F2F recycling
Referring to the recycling of materials from one industry to create outputs for use in the same industry.
For example, a cotton t shirt being recycled into raw fibre to be spun and used to create another textile product. Note, closed-loop/fibre-to-fibre and textile-to-textile recycling can be used interchangeably.
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Open-Loop recycling
Referring to the recycling of materials where inputs from one industry are recycled into outputs for another industry.
For example, plastic bottles being recycled into yarn for textile use. Within open-loop, there is both chemical and mechanical recycling.
- By meeting recycler requirements for feedstock, bales that have been prepared for recycling should be of far higher environmental and economic value than unsorted volumes.
- It is important to distinguish post-industrial, pre- consumer and post-consumer non-reuseable textile inputs to recycling here (as set out in WRAP’s Textiles Reuse and Recycling definitions), as this will impact preparation for recycling routes and processes.
Preparation for Recycling: ready to take action? Check out the next steps for your business…
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Build strategic partnerships to optimise the collection, sorting and recycling of non-reusable textiles.
These partnerships can open dialogue on recycler requirements, helping to streamline logistics and could lead to new business opportunities.
Joining voluntary initiatives such as Textiles 2030 can also create opportunities for cross-sector collaboration and partnerships. -
Educate citizens on the post-consumer textiles supply chain and provide options for both reuse and recycling.
Citizens can now find up-to-date advice on how and where to recycle a range of unwanted clothing and household textiles on WRAP's Recycle Now website.
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Consider integrating advanced textile sorting and pre-processing facilities (ATSPs) into business models.
ATSPs have the potential to bridge the gap between non-reusable textiles supply and feedstock to textiles recyclers. There are multiple configurations of ATSPs to meet business needs and recycler requirements.
See the ACT UK website for more information.
- To meet future clothing demand and to minimise the environmental impacts of manufacturing new clothing, there is a need for alternative fibres, including recycled fibres. By scaling up the use of recycled fibres, the industry could achieve a carbon reduction of 12% and a water footprint reduction of 18% - reducing pressure on the planet’s depleting resources and diverting textiles from landfill, incineration, or being exported to lower cost labour regions. [x]
- Brands and retailers must support textile collectors, sorters and recyclers to scale up the use of recycled fibres - the industry needs a reliable source of consistent feedstock across a wide range of fibres.
Closed-loop / F2F Recycling: ready to take action? Check out the next steps for your business…
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Create demand for recycled content.
Brands and retailers can help to drive demand for recycled fibres, by increasing the recycled content in their products and communicating the benefits of this to citizens to drive market pull.
To avoid greenwashing, marketing communications must accurately reflect the overall fibre composition of a garment or product range. This includes clearly stating the percentage of recycled fibres that have been blended with virgin fibres. See the Competition and Market Authority's Green Claims Code for further guidance.
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Support recyclers with long-term partnerships, letters of intent and offtake agreements.
The reuse and recycling sector is crucial to delivering F2F recycling feedstock, but needs support, funding and investment to do so.
Joining voluntary initiatives such as Textiles 2030 can also create opportunities for cross-sector collaboration and partnerships. -
Design for Recyclability.
Brands and retailers can design textile products to be suitable for fibre-to-fibre recycling, removing barriers such as disruptors, and maximising the chances of their product being detected, accurately sorted and recycled at the end of its useable life, diverting from landfill and incineration. See WRAP’s Design for Circularity Toolkit and Design for Recyclability Toolkit for more information.
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Consider standards and feedstock specifications.
Collectors can standardise collection processes that preserve value to onward F2F markets.
Sorters and pre-processors can sort to recycling grades and work with F2F companies to ensure feedstock specification are met.
F2F recyclers can share needs with other stakeholders and get certified to verify the content for brands’ traceability needs. -
Innovate to improve viability of F2F recycling.
Providers of services, products and platforms such as product passports, tracers, blockchain and data protocols can support supply chain transparency and traceability, underpinning regulation.
Innovators should continue to develop automated sorting and de-trimming technologies to make processes commercially viable at scale. An example of this is the ACT-UK Demonstrator project.
Academics can contribute to research into improving the properties of recycled fibres, such as durability. -
Educate citizens on how to recycle their used textiles.
Citizens can now find up-to-date advice on how and where to recycle a range of unwanted clothing and household textiles on WRAP's Recycle Now website.
Brands can encourage citizens to see the value in their used textiles through take-back schemes and post point of purchase communication.
- There is huge potential to capture the value of existing resources, diverting them from landfill.
- Whilst closed-loop recycling is preferred, open-loop recycling can maximise value of textile resources that are unsuitable for closed-loop, for example fibre types/blends that do not meet recycler requirements.
- The majority of textiles sent for recycling are mechanically recycled, where the used textile is typically cut, ground and shredded into smaller pieces and utilised in new textile-based products, such as non-wovens, wipers, stuffing and insulation [x].
Design for recovery: ready to take action? Check out the next steps for your business…
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Divert non-reusable textiles from landfill.
Brands and retailers should include non-reusable items in take-back schemes and make this option clear to citizens.
Collaborate with waste management/ collectors and sorters to optimise onward recycling routes.
This includes investment in infrastructure by developing long-term partnerships and offtake agreements with the recycling sector.
See WRAP’s Retailer clothing take back guide for more information.
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Innovate to improve processes that move textiles up the hierarchy, towards closed-loop recycling and beyond.
Brands and retailers should use Design for Recyclability and Design for Disassembly strategies to enable recycling. See WRAP’s Design for Recyclability Toolkit / Design for Circularity Toolkit for more information.
Innovators should continue to develop automated sorting and de-trimming technologies to make processes commercially viable at scale. See the ACT-UK Project for an example. -
Find and grow markets via cross-industry collaboration.
Working across and between industries can be a valuable way to pool expertise and knowledge, drive innovation and unlock new revenue streams.
Joining voluntary initiatives such as Textiles 2030 can create opportunities for cross-sector collaboration and partnerships.
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Educate citizens on how to recycle their used textiles.
Local Authorities should ensure citizens have access to clear messaging on what to do with their non-reusable textiles.
Brands and retailers should also direct citizens to suitable disposal routes.
Citizens can now find up-to-date advice on how and where to recycle a range of unwanted clothing and household textiles on WRAP's Recycle Now website.