Value chain and applications
Making textile recycling an industrial and circular reality
Refashion is seeking to transform the end-of-life management of clothing, household linen and footwear (CHF), creating a circular, competitive, sustainable and resilient ecosystem that is part of a broader industrial dynamic spanning France and Europe.
In this section, you can find out more about the different stages in the textile recycling value chain, the key players and the wide range of potential applications.
A shared ambition
Our guiding principles are to prevent and treat waste and to reduce its impact. Our goal is to reduce environmental impact and make the circular economy tangible and measurable.
R&D: Innovation and expertise to drive the industry forwards
Study and test
Research and development are key to the industry's transformation. Refashion supports and coordinates projects that aim to:
- Study and test waste reduction solutions
- Develop all waste resources, whatever the material or product type
Innovation is the driving force behind circularity: this is how we will make the leap from prototyping to industrial production.
Specific applications for a circular process
The second-hand market in France and Europe
Refashion supports the development of a local second-hand market to increasingly replace new CHF and also to reduce imports of second-hand clothing.
This momentum is underpinned by the development of reconditioning and resale across European markets.
Recycling on an industrial scale
The challenge is to build a competitive industrial base, able to absorb and recycle huge quantities of used textiles and footwear.
This will require:
- Advanced technologies tailored to post-consumer CHF
- Smooth logistics connecting all the links in the chain
- Recycled materials meeting the needs of manufacturers at a viable cost
Making textile recycling a sustainable industrial reality means building an industrial base that is able to create value and jobs and that has a positive impact.
Who are the players in the value chain?
Each player is active in driving the industry forward:
Sorting operators
Identify, sort and channel waste streams
Material preparers
Conduct advanced sorting, remove disruptors and prepare materials for recycling
Technology suppliers
Develop appropriate processes and equipment to automate and optimise the stages of sorting and material preparation
Recyclers
Turn textile and footwear waste into new materials using mechanical, thermomechanical or chemical processes
Closed-loop integrators
Spinners, weavers, knitters, garment makers and sole manufacturers who include recycled materials in their products
Open-loop integrators
Plastics manufacturers, manufacturers of insulation and non-woven fabrics, furniture panels and other miscellaneous products using recycled materials for new applications.
Sorting operators
Identify, sort and channel waste streams
Material preparers
Conduct advanced sorting, remove disruptors and prepare materials for recycling
Technology suppliers
Develop appropriate processes and equipment to automate and optimise the stages of sorting and material preparation
Recyclers
Turn textile and footwear waste into new materials using mechanical, thermomechanical or chemical processes
Closed-loop integrators
Spinners, weavers, knitters, garment makers and sole manufacturers who include recycled materials in their products
Open-loop integrators
Plastics manufacturers, manufacturers of insulation and non-woven fabrics, furniture panels and other miscellaneous products using recycled materials for new applications.
Join Refashion's recycle platform and find out more about the players in recycling
Register / LoginMultiple applications
Recycled materials can be used in a number of sectors:
- Cleaning cloths for industry
- Thermal and acoustic insulation for the automotive and construction industries
- Panels or composites for furnishings
- New yarns through spinning (long fibres, single material) for the clothing industry
- Applications involving plastics and composite materials
- New soles for footwear
Challenges to be addressed together
Key levers to successfully transform the textile recycling industry:
- Waste resources of sufficient quality and quantity
- Robust technologies suitable for post-consumer textiles and footwear
- Efficient logistics connecting every link in the chain
- And an economically competitive approach to ensure the viability of the recycled materials for manufacturers
The key to success: a collective effort, driven by coordinated investment, collaborative projects and a commitment shared by all the players in the value chain.
Pour aller plus loin
Discover the recycling value chain
When reuse, repair or re-use are no longer an option, recycling becomes the key to prolonging the life of textile materials and offering them new outlets.
Explore our page dedicated to shoe recycling
While textiles can be recycled in a variety of ways, footwear recycling presents different challenges. Indeed, footwear is an extremely complex product, due to the different elements that make it up.
Dive into sorting and material preparation
We explain the stakes, technological challenges and innovative solutions for optimizing the quality of recycled materials.