Waste management is a public responsibility, hence governments at all levels have an operational, regulatory and/or legislative role to play to ensure collected textiles find a suitable destination. Creating a conducive environment for textiles requires the deployment of regulatory, economic as well as soft instruments at all levels of governance.
POLICYMAKERS
Barriers and Recommendations:
A growing mountain of non-rewearable textiles
The growing mountain of post-consumer textiles leads to an increase in the volume of clothing entering sorting facilities, of which a significant percentage is considered non-rewearable. These textiles have diverse potential to be reinserted into the market, but the collecting and sorting industry first needs to be empowered by all industry actors before it can thrive.
What can you do to help?
Optimise collection methods and inform citizens on how to dispose of textiles.
Regional
Assess current textiles strategies to ensure the right incentives are created.
Regional
Set targets for textiles reuse and recycling.
National
Negative perception on recycled content
Several brands are already using recycled textiles on a small scale. However, the vast majority of them are not sourcing PCT. On the other end of the value chain, there does not seem to be a strong pull from consumers to drive the industry to use recycled content in their products either. The interrelationship between brand offer and consumer demand may be key to the success of recycled content integration.
What can you do to help?
Procure recycled content in own materials and disseminate lessons learnt.
Regional
National
European
Inform consumers on the advantages of recycled content through campaigns.
National
European
Lack of urgency for textile waste
Awareness-raising efforts and goal-setting are still not enough to drive a real shift in consumption and production practices.In order to gain momentum that drives significant investment in the collection, sorting and recycling practices of postconsumer textiles, we need to create more urgency to further develop the end-of-use value chain.
What can you do to help?
Define terminologies and methodologies for the assessment of used textiles flows.
European
Assess the flows and impact of used textiles within own territory.
National
European
Define a regional strategy towards a circular economy for textiles.
Regional
National
European
The ever changing composition of post-consumer textiles
Concerns with using post-consumer textiles mainly relate to the quality, consistency and availability of these materials. Nevertheless, several brands and manufacturers are already incorporating recycled content in their collections. Recycling technologies are also seeing a surge both in the amount of recyclers as well as the amount of materials processed.
What can you do to help?
Implement Design Guidelines.
European
Map infrastructure requirements to process PCT.
National
Establish end-of-waste criteria for sorted textiles.
European
The unknown origin of post-consumer textiles
The lack of traceability of most textiles carries the risk of re-introducing textiles into the system which could pose a threat to product safety due to chemical contamination.
What can you do to help?
Enforce REACH Directive.
National
Assess the implications of REACH for recycled content.
European
Define testing procedures for recycled content.
European
Assess use and limitations of standards for recycled content.
European
Invest in the development of traceability solutions.
National
European
Lead the adoption of traceability solutions in the industry.
European
No market pull for non-rewearable textiles
The demand, size and pricing parameters for post-consumer textiles' end-markets still present major uncertainties. While a few technologies for certain materials are already at scale, certainty on the future of recycled textiles remains limited. This is due to the relative immaturity of most recycling technologies, as well as brands and consumers’ lack of in-depth understanding of the availability and potential of recycled fibres and fabrics made from post-consumer textiles.
What can you do to help?
Invest in the development and scalability of recycling technologies.
National
European
Invest in the development and scalability of hardware removal technologies.
National
European
Assess the potential of sheltered workshops for hardware removal.
Regional
Higher prices for recycled content
To date, recycled fibre and fabrics made from post-consumer textiles are priced higher than virgin sources. This is intimately related to the higher costs required to process post-consumer textiles, as well as the low demand for them.
What can you do to help?
Support the establishment of the required infrastructure through innovation grants.
National
European
Source materials with recycled content through Green Public Procurement.
Regional
National
European
Establish EPR to ensure affordability of infrastructure.
National
Investigate potential VAT changes to allow for price parity of recycled content with virgin alternatives.
National
European
Resources for policymakers:
