The world is producing clothes and other textiles at an unprecedented rate—and discarding them just as fast. In 2024, global textile waste reached 120 million metric tons, with 80% ending up in landfills or incinerated. By comparison, only 12% of the total was reused, 1% was collected but neither reused nor recycled, and 7% was deemed suitable for recycling. Of that 7%, less than 1% was made into new fiber. If left unchecked, textile waste could increase to more than 150 million metric tons a year by 2030.
A new report from Boston Consulting Group (BCG), titled Spinning Textile Waste into Value, estimates the total raw material value of unrecovered textile waste to be approximately $150 billion a year. Although recovering the full $150 billion in value is unlikely—since not all raw material waste can realistically be captured—substantial untapped potential exists. With the right investments to build a large-scale circular textile economy, waste recycling rates could exceed 30%, yielding new fibers with a raw material value of more than $50 billion and creating approximately 180,000 new jobs.
To achieve this vision—and build a profitable system for all stakeholders—the industry should focus on five key actions:
- Promote demand for textiles with recycled fibers.
- Collect more waste.
- Modernize sorting.
- Scale effective recycling solutions.
- Invest in innovation.
Realizing that potential will require coordination and commitment from industry players, the public sector, and consumers.
Source: Waste 360
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