Textile recycling has become one of today's major environmental and economic challenges. The combination of fast fashion, low prices, and constant consumption means that millions of tons of clothing accumulate each year, most of which end up in landfills or incinerators instead of re-entering the production cycle.
Faced with this reality, a shift in the model is taking shape in Spain and throughout the European Union, combining public awareness campaigns, new collection infrastructure, technical training for industry professionals, and technological advancements that allow for better utilization of textile waste. All of this points toward a more circular value chain, although there is still a long way to go.
Raising awareness from childhood: cultural and educational initiatives
The transformation of the textile sector involves not only technology, but also changing our relationship with clothing from a young age . A clear example is the initiative at the BBK Hall in Bilbao, which has transformed its stage into a space for play and learning about the lifespan of garments.
Under the title “Karle eta arropa fabrika” (Karle and the Clothes Factory) , families with children between the ages of 6 and 12 participate in an experience that blends musical theater in Basque, with subtitles, and hands-on workshops. The story revolves around two children, Karle and Joxi, who discover that a simple T-shirt has traveled thousands of kilometers and consumed resources and energy before reaching their wardrobe, forcing them to rethink the concept of “use and discard.”
After the performance, the audience ceases to be passive spectators and becomes an active part of the process. Families are invited to bring in clothes they no longer use to repair, personalize , or give them a new look through sewing, patches, or fabric paint. In this way, children understand in a very practical way that mending and transforming clothes can extend their lifespan and prevent them from ending up in the trash prematurely.
The proposal includes educational materials, such as maps showing which countries the garments come from and how textile production is distributed globally. The aim is for young children to see fashion in a new light, understanding its environmental and social impact.
This entire program is offered at a symbolic price, with tickets costing just €2 , making it easy for many families to participate. The initiative is part of an international movement advocating for fairer fashion , with less environmental impact and greater respect for workers throughout the production chain.
More containers and less littering: the local commitment to clothing collection
Education is key, but accessible infrastructure is also needed for textile recycling to work. In this regard, the Promedio Consortium of the Badajoz Provincial Council has launched a campaign to improve the management of used clothing and footwear , especially in rural areas.
With the slogan “Don’t throw your clothes away,” the campaign focuses on a twofold problem: on the one hand, the constant increase in waste generated by fast fashion, and on the other, the lack of a habit of separating clothing from other household waste . Currently, only around 10% of the garments that leave homes are recycled or reused, meaning that most end up mixed with other waste.
To change this situation, 214 new containers specifically for textiles are being installed in 34 municipalities across the province. The goal is to achieve a ratio of approximately one container for every 400 or 500 inhabitants , a significantly higher number than is typically seen in large cities and better suited to the characteristics of rural areas.
The presence of these containers has a direct effect on the quality of recycling: until now, much of the textile waste arrived at the recycling centers mixed in with the gray or even the yellow containers. In fact, textiles are one of the main items that shouldn't be placed in the container for light packaging , which increases the cost of treatment and reduces the efficiency of recycling plastics and metals.
The procedure for families is simple: separate any unwanted clothing, shoes, and accessories (such as bags or belts) at home, place them in a tightly sealed bag, and deposit it in the designated textile container. This simple but crucial step greatly facilitates collection and the subsequent sorting, reuse, or recycling process at the appropriate facilities.
The campaign includes media outreach, street-level activities, and physical materials such as brochures, magnets, and reusable cloth bags to encourage source separation. The central message revolves around the invented verb "to litter," understood as turning something of value into mere trash . According to the consortium, this is precisely the mistake made when usable clothing is thrown in the wrong bin.
This project is funded by the European Union's Next Generation funds and the Regional Government of Extremadura , which shows that the selective collection of textiles is beginning to be considered a priority in waste policies.
Specialized training: the textile sector is preparing for circularity
As citizens become more accustomed to separating their waste, the textile industry faces the challenge of adapting its processes and business model to an increasingly regulated environment . One example of this shift is the course promoted by the Confederation of the Textile Industry (Texfor), specifically focused on textile recycling.
Entitled “Recycling in the Textile Sector: Challenges and Cutting Edges ,” this online course aims to provide professionals with an up-to-date overview of the trends, technologies, and regulatory requirements that will shape the near future of the industry. It is designed for a wide range of professionals across the value chain, from production and design to purchasing, materials selection, marketing, and distribution.
The program is organized into several modules, beginning with a review of the European and Spanish legal framework . This section analyzes the new regulations on separate textile collection, reuse and recycling targets, and the implications of extended producer responsibility, which will require companies to take responsibility for the end-of-life of the garments they place on the market.
Another key aspect of the course focuses on the different types of textile recycling and the available technologies . It covers both traditional mechanical processes, based on fiber removal to obtain new yarn or fillings, and more innovative solutions in chemical recycling , which allow for the separation and recovery of higher-quality components.
The training also includes the analysis of international success stories , with examples of companies and projects already implementing advanced circularity models. These cases illustrate how it is possible to generate new business opportunities by leveraging textile waste that was previously considered a problem, and show which technologies and partnerships are proving most effective.
In its final section, the program looks toward the sector's future challenges : from the need to improve fiber traceability to the integration of ecodesign criteria, as well as reducing environmental impact and decarbonizing the supply chain. The aim is for participants to leave with a clear roadmap for incorporating textile recycling into their business strategies.
The course, which lasts approximately seven hours , is held in several morning sessions. Those who attend at least 75% of the classes will receive a certificate of completion, reinforcing its value as a professional qualification tool in an increasingly in-demand field.
Technological innovation: from textile waste to new high-quality fibers
Beyond education and regulation, the piece that could complete the textile recycling puzzle is technological innovation . One of the most significant advances is occurring in the treatment of blended fabrics, which combine, for example, polyester and cotton, very common in workwear, sportswear, and protective clothing.
These blended fabrics offer functional advantages, but their recycling is particularly complicated . Traditional mechanical processes often degrade the quality of the resulting fiber, limiting its future uses, while many chemical methods end up sacrificing one of the materials to recover the other.
In this context, the “TheKey” project emerged , involving Mewa, a company specializing in textile solutions for industry, along with other academic and business partners. This initiative has succeeded, under near-industrial conditions, in converting the polyester contained in textile waste back into its original raw materials , terephthalic acid (TA) and ethylene glycol (EG).
According to the project leaders, the quality of these components meets industry standards , allowing them to be reused to manufacture polyester and produce high-quality PET fibers from recycled textiles. This is an important step towards a truly circular model, in which recycled fiber can compete in performance with virgin fiber.
Current work focuses on improving the robustness, reproducibility, and performance of the process , as well as scaling it up to continuous operation at an industrial level. Next steps will also include developing quality control systems and adapting production methods for integration into existing textile supply chains.
The second major technical challenge of the “TheKey” project is utilizing the cotton present in these mixed fabrics. Although it has already been separated, the quality of the resulting fraction does not yet meet the requirements for direct recycling as cotton in traditional supply chains. Therefore, the objective is to obtain cellulose of sufficient quality for use in processes such as Lyocell and to generate new regenerated textile fibers.
The ability to separately recover the synthetic and natural components of a single fabric directly addresses one of the biggest challenges in current textile recycling: the treatment of blended fabrics , which make up a significant portion of the clothing we wear every day. To this end, the project brings together eight partners with expertise ranging from chemical process engineering to textile technology and materials science.
At the end of the initiative, participants aim to present a solution that guarantees the true circularity of these materials . In the case of polyester, the goal is for recovered monomers to be used to obtain PET fibers of the same quality as virgin fibers, while in the case of cotton, the cellulose must be transformed into high-value pulps suitable for producing new, competitive textile fibers.
Among the pending tasks are scaling up the process, monitoring the quality of recycled materials , and designing production methods applicable to industrial practice. If these goals are met, used workwear and functional clothing could become a valuable resource for generating new, high-performance textiles.
A sector in full transformation: from fast fashion to the circular economy
This entire set of initiatives fits into a broader context in which fast fashion has driven textile production and consumption to unsustainable levels . The mass production of cheap garments has transformed clothing into a virtually disposable commodity, with very short lifecycles and mountains of waste that grow year after year.
Globally, tens of millions of tons of textile waste are generated each year , and only a very small fraction is effectively recycled. In many cases, discarded garments are exported as so-called "second-hand" to other countries and end up piled up in open-air landfills, with very visible environmental and social impacts.
To try to change this dynamic, the European Union is deploying a package of measures ranging from regulation to funding . These include restrictions on the export of textile waste, obligations for companies to finance sorting and recycling systems, and ecodesign standards that aim to make garments more durable, repairable, and recyclable.
At the same time, technological solutions are being promoted to strengthen sorting and recycling. Automated sorting with artificial intelligence allows for better identification of the materials in each garment and more precise separation, which is essential for feeding mechanical and chemical recycling processes under optimal conditions.
In the field of chemical recycling, developments such as new polymer families and depolymerization processes are emerging. These, along the lines of projects like "TheKey," promise to recover high-quality fibers and reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with the production of virgin materials. Meanwhile, mechanical recycling continues to advance in machinery and defibering techniques, enabling increasingly demanding uses for recycled fiber.
This regulatory and technological push, coupled with consumer pressure and awareness campaigns, is driving the European textile sector towards a more circular model, less based on single-use and more focused on reuse, repair, and recycling . Although many challenges remain—from infrastructure financing to the adaptation of smaller businesses—the steps taken in Spain and Europe show that the shift has already begun and that used clothing is gradually being seen more as a resource than as worthless waste.
