Time to focus on recycling textile and stir a spirit for sustainable clothing

A recent IMARC group report indicated that global textile recycling market reached a value of USD 5.02 billion in 2021. The market is expected to reach 5.86 billion by 2027 with a CAGR of 2.6 percent during 2022-2027.

The report further indicated that the increasing demand for recycled textile is primarily driven by the rising environmental concerns towards the detrimental impact of waste incineration, heavy industrial discharges from textile mills, and depletion of raw materials, such as silk, wool, etc.

The global fashion industry uses 93 billion cubic meters of water every year, this is enough to meet the consumption needs of five million people in the world.

Furthermore, the growing production of synthetic and polyester fabrics have led to the high emission levels of greenhouse gases, thereby fuelling the need for recycled fabrics on a global level. According to the World Bank, the fashion sector is responsible for 10 percent of global carbon emissions, which exceeds the combined emissions from international flights & maritime shipping. At this pace, the sector’s greenhouse gas emissions will rise more than 50 percent by 2030. Hence, with these surging carbon emissions, the demand for eco-friendly materials is expected to significantly increase, which, in turn, would boost the market during 2022-27.

The burgeoning textile waste in landfills creating a significant impact on the environment is the prime factor surging the demand for recycled products globally. It is estimated that 21 billion tons of textile waste are sent to landfills annually due to a lack of recycling. Also, according to the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), around 87 percent of the total fabric input used in clothing gets disposed of without recycling to landfills, and it creates a severe impact on the environment. Moreover, the companies are using recycled materials like polyester as it requires less energy to produce initial polyester and reduced dependence on fossil fuel.

Reportedly, landfills around the world are almost 6 percent filled with textile waste. Some of the clothes do not degrade easily and sometimes emit CO2 gas, which is harmful to the environment. Recycling textile offers the benefits such as less demand for dyes, decreased landfill space requirements, and reduced consumption of water and energy.

The garment industry is one of the most polluting sectors in the world. Therefore, many apparel manufacturers & consumers are shifting toward sustainable clothes. Further, most of the fabric gets manufactured using crude oil, which leads to the release of a large volume of plastic microfibers into lakes & the ocean. Every year a half a million tons of plastic microfibers are dumped into the ocean, the equivalent of 50 billion plastic bottles.

Another report on the sustainable clothing and textile recycling market by Brainly Insights indicated that the global recycled textile market is projected to grow from USD 6.89 billion in 2020 to USD 10.37 billion by 2028, at a CAGR of 6.74 percent during the forecast period 2021-2028.

The rising demand for low-cost clothing in various countries has boosted the growth of the sustainable clothing and textile recycling market. Furthermore, increasing technological innovation in recycling equipment also contributes to the growth of the market.

Many international brands have started initiatives to collect the used clothes from the consumers, providing growth opportunities in the market.

For the uninitiated textile recycling is done in two ways, and they are post-consumer clothing and pre-consumer clothing. Pre-consumer waste includes scrap created as a by-product from the textile industry; on the other hand, the post-consumer includes used garments, car upholstery, and other household items

The Asia Pacific region emerged as the largest market for the recycled textile market and was valued at USD 2.83 billion in 2020.

India and China are leading the growth curve in the Asia Pacific region in sustainable clothing and textile recycling due the presence of many global and local recycling companies in these countries. Moreover, Asia Pacific has the largest population in the world, which generated a large number of waste textiles, which is offering various growth opportunities for the vendors in the market.

The Europe region has emerged as the fastest-growing region. About 5 percent of the total income of European consumers is spent on textile, of which 80 percent spends on clothing and 20 percent spends on footwear. Thus, high spending on textile resulted in a high amount of textile waste generation, driving the growth of the market in Europe.

In the sustainable clothing and recycling textile market, recycled polyester dominated the global market and held the largest market share of 40.36 percent in the year 2020. The segment is divided into recycled wool, recycled polyester, recycled nylon, recycled cotton, and others. The recycled polyester can be recycled again and again. In addition to this, polyester is durable and chemical resistant. Thus, the high rate of polyester recycling drives the growth of the market.

It is interesting to note that it is the home furnishing segment that is expected to see a 7.1 percent rise over the next two years. An increase in demand for various recycled textiles products such as furniture covers, mattresses, and carpets, driving the growth of the home furnishing segment.

The technological innovation in recycled textiles for various processes such as sorting, decontaminating, and processing waste textile is increasing. In addition to this, many vendors are integrating advanced technologies in the equipment used for recycling. Thus, rising technological innovation in the textile industry is driving the market’s growth, Brainly Insight reported revealed.

The one hindrance to the sustainable clothing and textile recycling market, many experts in the business see are the high cost of operations of textile recycling. They feel that this could hamper the growth of the market. But what cannot be doubted is that the world is moving towards new concepts in sustainable fashion and many people from non-textile backgrounds are eager to join in this growing movement. In fact, there is growing number of startups globally that are now focusing on sustainable clothing and recycling textile in an effort make in difference to the environment.