The fact that textile production can have both a climate impact and a large resource drain has been increasingly recognized. This is of course positive, but at the same time it is extremely important that measures aimed at reducing climate impact are based on facts so that they have the intended effects.
It is with good ambition that the EU decided in 2018 that member states would sort out textile waste by 2025 so that it could be reused and recycled instead of ending up in landfills and incinerators. Increased resource efficiency and more domestic jobs would be achieved through the requirement. Since then, several actors have sought the answer to how textiles can be reused and recycled efficiently and on a large scale. Technologies and processes have been developed and cooperations have been started between different actors. Not infrequently, actors in the textile service industry have been quick to get involved and actively drive development.
However, processes and business models take time to develop. The chaotic situation of recent months since the textile sorting requirement was introduced in Sweden has clearly shown that the entire chain must be in place and functioning before the environmental and social benefits of this type of requirement can be achieved. Otherwise, there is a great risk that the good intentions will have unwanted effects.
The Swedish Textile Service Association has argued for several years that an increased focus on textile recycling must also involve major investments in the development of technologies for high-quality textile recycling. Unfortunately, the number of reception facilities for textile waste is still very limited, and there are no developed technologies for receiving and treating more complex fiber mixtures. The lack of capacity means that textiles are stored in high quantities, the intended environmental benefits are not achieved, and media reporting risks undermining trust in the system, and thus the reuse and recycling that existed long before the requirement for sorting was introduced.
