EURATEX's ReHubs 2022 plans to convert textile waste into value

European organisation EURATEX’s ReHubs initiative plans to pursue fibre-to-fibre recycling for 2.5 million tons of textile waste by 2030. The ReHubs initiative brings together key European and world players to solve the European textile waste problem by transforming “waste” into a resource, and to boost the textile circular business model at large scale.

Based on the ambitious European Waste law, all EU Member States must separately collect the textile waste in two years and half. While some countries are designing schemes to face the waste collection challenge, currently no large-scale plan exists to process the waste. The largest source of textile waste (85 per cent) comes from private households and approximately 99 per cent of the textile waste was made using virgin fibres.

“We assess that to reach a fibre-to-fibre recycling rate of around 18 to 26 per cent by 2030, a capital expenditure investment in the range of €6 billion to €7 billion will be needed, particularly to scale up sufficient sorting and processing infrastructure. The economic, social, and environmental value which could be realised, potentially total an annual impact of €3.5-4.5 billion by 2030. Once matured and scaled, the textile recycling industry could become a profitable industry with a total market size of €6-8 billion and around 15,000 direct new jobs by 2030,” the release added.

Facing the European textile waste challenge and to finally activate the circular economy in the textile sector at large scale, EURATEX in collaboration with its members launched the ReHubs initiative in 2020. In June 2022, the first ReHubs Techno Economic Master Study (TES) has been completed and shades lights on key figures, options to collaborate for the European-wide solution.

Next steps of the ReHubs initiative include

• A European textile recycling roadmap proposing Objectives and Key Results to recycle fibre-to-fibre 2.5 million of textile waste by 2030
• A leading collaboration hub with large players and SMEs from across an extended European textile recycling value chain
• A first concrete portfolio of 4 launching projects:

1. Transform textile waste into feedstock
2. Increase the adoption of mechanically recycled fibers in the value chain
3. Expand capacity by solving technical challenges for thermo-mechanical textiles recycling
4. Create capsule collection with post-consumer recycled product0073

The 1st project addresses current sorting technologies which have limits to identify materials with sufficient accuracy for the subsequent circular recycling processes. The “Transform Waste into Feedstock” project will focus on further developing and scaling such sorting technologies. The project group led by Texaid AG aims on building up a first 50,000 tons facility by the end 2024.

The ReHubs initiative brings together key European and world players to solve the European textile waste problem by transforming “waste” into a resource, and to boost textile circular business model at large scale.

This collaboration is set to turn the societal textile waste issue into a business opportunity and to fulfil the EU ambitions of the Green Deal, of the mandatory textile waste collection by end 2024 and the transition into Circular Economy.

In 2020 EURATEX launched the ReHubs initiative to promote collaboration across the extended textile value chain and considering all perspectives on chemicals, fibres making, textiles making, garments production, retail and distribution, textiles waste collection, sorting and recycling.

In June 2022 ReHubs completes a Techno Economic master Study (TES) which researches critical information on the feedstock (textile waste) data, on technology, organizational and financial needs to recycle 2.5 million tons of textile waste by 2030 and to effectively launch the ReHubs.

To ensure inclusivity and mobilise resources, EURATEX has set three stakeholder groups: A Business Council pooling together pioneering companies to perform the TES study; A Stakeholder Forum with a wider pool of business, research and academia players which has been gathered twice to share high-level information and support future collaboration. A EURATEX Task Force with 14 national associations to review progress of the ReHubs and align with policy and industry developments and national level.