Adressing the gap: the lack of a centralised global tool for textile waste

The textile industry faces increased scrutiny on its substantial amounts of waste generated each year. This presents a challenge for the industry, but also a massive opportunity for circularity and transparency; with efforts underway to track, reduce, and utilise waste towards better end-of-life practices.

Waste reflects a burden on resources, inefficient processes, and unmanaged emissions, highlighting the need for action. Rising regulations are also inciting action from the industry, such as recyclers using textile waste as feedstock to displace virgin fibre production. However, information on textile waste is currently fragmented, with data scattered across a multitude of organisations and platforms. This lack of centralised knowledge and standardised data hampers the industry’s ability to address and capitalise on textile waste.

To tackle this issue, Fashion for Good, has partnered with Reverse Resources, Global Fashion Agenda, Circle Economy, and Accelerating Circularity – who actively address many facets of textile waste and leverage each other's diverse skill sets and wealth of information to create a tool consolidating the outcomes of individual research. This tool provides an overview of data points on waste quantities, types, compositions, and other insights, as well as links to the original studies. With information on waste attributes, data collection methodologies, organisations involved, and a lens on upcoming studies for a region, the tool empowers users of textile waste, as well as stakeholders looking to further the industry’s knowledge base.

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With a lens on global hotspots of textile waste, as well as links to established resources for each region, strategies aimed at valorising waste become more attainable. For instance, recyclers can strategise their feedstock sourcing by gaining insights into waste streams and their specific characteristics. Governments can utilise this data to develop informed policies and regulations that encourage sustainable waste management practices. Fostering connections between stakeholders, both local and international, can help address operational challenges towards the advancement of circularity.

Over time, coverage will be expanded with the inclusion of additional countries and waste types. The growing database will surface economic and composition insights and integrate policy information for more utility. This initiative marks a significant step towards building a more transparent, collaborative, and circular fashion industry. The platform continues to grow and incorporates more data and insights from other organisations working on assessing waste in newer regions and different waste categories. The goal is to provide deeper clarity, drive meaningful change, and pave the way for a fashion industry that values sustainability.

For more information: World of Waste - Tracking Global Textile Waste