Classifications of textile waste

Although the collection and recycling of textiles has increased, and will continue to increase, there are still major challenges in sorting and managing textile waste efficiently, in particular due to material mixtures and lack of advanced technological infrastructure. Several recycling technologies have come a long way, but a barrier to scaling up is the lack of raw material in large volumes. 

The demand for fibre to fibre recycled raw material is also still very low and there is scarce information to make realistic calculations and see the business case for switching to more recycled textiles in relation to virgin materials. There is therefore a great need for a classification system that covers the most widely used and common fibre blends today and that can help to make the right decisions in product development and purchasing.  This project aims to further develop a basic framework for assessing the recyclability of textile materials and products. This is a continuation of the Vinnova project Framework for Circular Textiles - Classification of recycled textile materials and assessment of recyclability/circularity for increased implementation of secondary raw material in textile value chains.