State-of-the-art and future perspectives in textile recycling

The shift in purpose of textiles from a mere need towards fashion goods has led to an increasing amount of end-of-life textile items. Where separate collection is in place, one-half of the gathered items are shipped abroad. 1/5th of the other part is reused for cleaning and up to 10 % are incinerated or disposed of. For the remaining fraction, three main recycling routes are used to 1) reclaim individual fibres, 2) melt or dissolve the fibre polymer, or 3) depolymerise textiles and use the monomers. The maturing of new techniques, such as bio-catalysis, pushes the limits and sequential processes are suggested for multi-material textile recycling. However, separate collection and sorting are essential, yet not in place largely. The pressure on textile waste management for suitable treatment is high, let alone recent legal trends.