Textiles: Study Highlights Need for Scale-up in Recycling

A recent study by Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and ReHubs highlights the significant scale of action required to establish textile-to-textile recycling across Europe.

In 2025, Europe generated an estimated 15.2 million tonnes of textile waste, including 13.3 million tonnes of post-consumer waste. Of this, only around 1.5 million tonnes were collected and sorted, while less than 1% was recycled into new textiles. The study identifies limited collection and sorting as key constraints. Collection rates are estimated at around 33%, with approximately 36% of collected volumes sorted into recycling-oriented streams.

To reach a first meaningful scale, textile-to-textile recycling would need to increase to around 15% of post-consumer waste by 2035, corresponding to approximately 2.7 million tonnes of recycled fibres. This would require increases in collection rates to around 50% and sorting rates to around 63%. The study estimates that achieving this scale would require €8-11 billion in capital expenditure and €5–6.5 billion in annual operating costs by 2035.

According to the study, bridging the economic gap requires enabling mechanisms such as standards, EPR design, eco-contribution fees and public or private financing tools. It also states that textile-to-textile recycled fibres are associated with structurally higher processing costs and are not cost-competitive with existing recycling routes.

For more insights on textiles, sign up to our Textiles EPR Newsletter here >>