Gaining benefits from discarded textiles

Stimulating Textile-to-Textile Recycling

“…This fits with the latest research in the area (see e.g. Schmidt et al, 2016). For these companies, using recycled fibres/fabrics or design for recycling must not compromise durability.…”

“…Transparency in the source of recycled fibres is necessary, in part, because of a perceived risk that traces of hazardous, persistent chemicals in textile and non-textile waste will find their way into new garments and textile products (see also Schmidt et al, 2016, Swedish Chemical Agency, 2014.…”

“…However, there is perhaps a need for a stronger level of coordination between these projects, or a hub where brands and other industry stakeholders can follow progress in all these areas and where goals can be identified. Schmidt et al (2016) but there is a need for more rigorous risk assessments for particular processes and products. This would provide brands with a better knowledge of the risks associated with closed loop and how these can be avoided.…”

“…An LCA-based report for the Nordic Council of Ministers shows that reuse gives far greater environmental benefits than recycling, which itself is environmentally advantageous compared to incineration with energy recovery, though the advantages are small compared to those of reuse (Schmidt et al, 2016). The report also found that benefits of recycling tend to be higher for recycling options where recycled fibres are used in new textile products.…”

Labelling of chemicals in textiles

“…However, in Europe there are end-of-life actors which have requirements on chemical content and/or origin of the textile material and would benefit a relevant labelling/declaration system (Schmidt et al, 2016;Östlund et al, 2015). The highest priority to mark for identification and sorting possibilities in relation to recycling is chemicals that may occur under restriction limits such as:…”