Textile recycling in Germany: opportunities for a sustainable future

Freiburg, October 17, 2024 - The world of textile recycling in Germany is a hot iron! While the waste mountains are getting higher, the recycling of old textiles is only slow. But there are also glimmer of hope in this processed matter!

In 2018, Germany collected around one million tons of old textiles - an impressive number! But only measly 26 percent are actually fed to recycling. The rest? These textiles are often burned, deposited or shipped to countries outside the EU. The current evaluation chaos shows the great potential for a real circular economy - if only the right measures were taken!

mechanical recycling dominates: is it the end of the flagpole?

A current study by the renowned eco-institute on behalf of the Nature Conservation Association Germany e.V. (NABU) describes the current situation as questionable. Mechanical recycling is with a share of 65 to 87 percent of the main actors, but this process has its limits! It protects the environment compared to other methods, but the fiber quality suffers enormously.

A hope could be the depolymerization that is still in its infancy. This process dismembered fibers such as polyester and nylon into their origins and could help produce high -quality new textiles. But how long do the innovators have to wait?

other methods such as pyrolysis and gasification use more complicated chemical processes to split up the structure of the fibers. However, these methodological adventures have their price: they need significantly more energy and have so far hardly been suitable for textile fiber production. There is a lot of potential lying down here!

The legislator must go!

Another sticking point is the low odds for recycled fibers - so -called recyclates - in new textiles. Clara Löw, an expert at the eco-institute, raises the alarm: "If we want to increase the recycling quota, the manufacturers have to receive clear incentives! We need binding odds for using recyclates!"

The key could be due to the political levers: The EU Ecodesign Ordinance and upcoming laws could increase the pressure on manufacturers in order to promote the recyclability of their products. Obligations for separate collection and recovery are necessary to exploit the full potential of the textile recycling!

According to Löw, depolymerization urgently needs to be advanced to secure the future of the textile recycling. It is up to politics to set the course correctly so that the circular economy in the textile sector not only remains an empty promise!

This study, which deals with the status quo and the current developments in textile recycling, shows us the urgent need to act now!

Clara Löw from the eco-institute is available for further information. The institute is one of the leading research and advisory institutes for sustainable development in Europe, and has been active for our environment since 1977!