Achieving a Circular Textiles Economy Facilitated by Innovative Technology: An Analysis of Present and Future End-of-Life Solutions in Textile Recycling

Abstract

The textile industry, while remaining a growing sector in response to population increase and social change, has been identified as a significant consumer of finite natural resources and a large producer of waste. This linear economic model that allows for the consumption of resources with no measures in place for a product’s end of life other than disposal is not sustainable, and changes to this model are being driven by society pressure and legislative measures, while being facilitated by technological innovation. While new solutions are emerging, logistical structures are not yet fully in place to facilitate this industrial progression and the question remains ‘which new innovations in recycling technology can help to facilitate a new textile circular economy?'. The concept for this study was formed around the principal of finding solutions to the linear consumption of the planet’s resources and the part played by the textile industry. This chapter offers a qualitative evaluation of the current post-consumer waste models, recycling streams, and the associated challenges, while providing an evaluation of new innovations in recycling technologies and a discussion around the viability of the integration of new technologies into the current economic models.