In 2017, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation found that less than 1% of material used to produce clothing was recycled into new clothing. Eight years later, despite a wave of start-ups and projections that recycling 30% of textiles could generate over $50 billion in value (BCG), uptake remains stubbornly low: less than 1% of the global fibre market still comes from pre- and post-consumer recycled textiles (Textile Exchange).
We’re stuck in a supply-demand deadlock. Designers aren’t incentivised to design for circularity. Collection infrastructure is patchy. Sorters lack the capacity to improve segregation and traceability. Recyclers need long-term commitments and volume guarantees from brands to scale. Brands hesitate to adopt recycled materials at scale due to quality and price concerns — concerns that can’t be solved without stronger consumer demand.
Yet T2T materials remain a crucial lever for decarbonisation: raw material extraction alone drives 22% of textiles’ carbon emissions (Aii). So who breaks the cycle?
Our expert panel will map the critical intervention points and explore how coordinated action across the value chain can unlock T2T recycling at scale.
What to expect from this type of session...
Hear from expert speakers on these mainstage panel discussions as we address the critical sustainability challenges and opportunities within the industry.
