Mutiara Simanjuntak

Another Monday to yap about textile recycling! (Yes, I'm turning my frustration into passion instead. And yes, my yoga teacher approved this 🧘‍♀️) So, the textile recycling industry has all the technology and feedstock it needs, yet growth remains slow. And here’s my take on why the textile recycling industry is stalling. The real bottleneck isn't the science or the supply. It is the lack of *supportive government policy.* Current rules tax the solution through heavy compliance costs while letting cheap, polluting virgin fiber off the hook. We have mandated separate textile collections, but we haven't legally obligated brands to actually buy the recycled material. To fix this, we need minimum recycled content targets and a virgin fiber tax to finally ignite true market demand. 🌍 What do you think?

Let's talk about textile recycling for a second. Other green industries got nurtured with real financial backing. But textile recycling? It mainly only received strategy papers or speeches. Personally for me, it's frustrating to watch, especially because we already know the exact recipe that works to scale green technology. However, this means we already know exactly what recipe works to scale green technology successfully. Imagine if we introduced mandatory recycled content targets. So governments can then open up the exact same explosive growth for textiles. We've been known that investors are ready to fund industrial-scale plants the moment clear market demand is guaranteed. The technology and feedstock are ready. And with the right policy spark, we can build a thriving circular economy. 🚀 Image credit: Adobe Stock ALT text embedded

In January 2025, the EU mandated separate textile collections across the region. On paper, it sounds like a dream. But in reality? I don't know about you, but I've been hearing my folks' difficulty in pushing for it. Because it created a massive supply push years before anyone actually mandated USING the recycled material. So, the immediate result of this is that sorters and collectors are drowning in material with nowhere profitable to send it. Several textile recycling businesses have already gone under because of this imbalance. This is just like turning the supply tap to full blast before you’ve even built the drain. The governments essentially opened the supply tap before building the market drain. And this is why we desperately need minimum recycled content targets right now, not in 2030. 🛑 What do you think about the recent push?

Every year, 4% to 9% of unsold clothes in Europe are destroyed before anyone even wears them. But, starting 19 July, the EU's new ban officially puts an end to this waste. Large companies are now legally prohibited from destroying unsold clothing, accessories, and footwear. Medium-sized businesses will have to follow the same rules starting in 2030. And this is a massive policy step that finally moves the EU beyond just recycling! Instead of just breaking items down, it preserves the actual value already embedded in finished products. Preventing this destruction protects the raw materials, water, and energy invested across the entire production chain. Under these new rules, companies must prioritise selling, discounting, donating, or reusing their stock. It will be fascinating to see how strict monitoring and implementation shape the long-term impact of this law. Hopefully, this marks the beginning of a truly circular fashion economy. 🔄