Boost recycling and treatment capacity
EPR/RAP finances and organises the management of textiles at the end of their useful life. On this page, we clearly explain what happens from collection through to reuse and recycling, and why sorting is the step that most influences the outcome: reusing more and recycling better.
What “end of life” means in textiles
When a textile is no longer used, it does not “disappear”: it enters a management chain where it is decided whether it can be reused, recycled, or whether it ends up in other less circular routes.
The aim of the system is to maximise reuse and recycling, reducing landfill and material losses. To achieve this, sorting is the key element: it separates what still has value from what needs treatment.
How the closed-loop textile system works
ERP enables a closed-loop approach to textile recycling. These are the usual stages of end-of-life management:
- Collection: Used textiles are deposited at authorised collection points. The aim is to prevent them from ending up in residual waste and to direct them towards treatment.
- Sorting: They are separated by material type, quality, and condition. This stage determines what can be reused, what can be recycled, and what is not suitable for circularity and requires another form of management.
- Reuse: Garments in good condition are prepared for second-hand use, extending the product’s useful life and reducing the need to manufacture from scratch.
- Recycling: Non-reusable textiles are transformed into raw materials, such as fibres or other materials, for use in new products. The quality of the fraction and its composition determine the type of recycling possible.
- Product manufacturing: Recovered materials are reintroduced into manufacturing chains, reducing the use of virgin resources.
- Consumers: Products return to the market and the cycle repeats. The system works better when return/collection and consumer information are made easier.
What happens to each type of textile after sorting
To understand the process, it is useful to think in terms of typical “outputs”:
- Reusable, second-hand: garments in good condition → preparation, sanitisation, selection, and redistribution.
- Recyclable, raw material: non-reusable textiles with a treatable composition → recycling, depending on material and blend.
- Unsuitable / rejected: contaminated fractions, complex blends, or items in poor condition → routed to the appropriate management option according to regulations and available capacities.
Why sorting is the “bottleneck” of textile recycling
Sorting defines the actual destination of the waste. Typical issues that worsen outcomes include:
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Fibre blends that are difficult to separate
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Lack of information on composition
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Heavily deteriorated or contaminated textiles
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Non-target materials such as plastics, moisture, or waste mixed with textiles
Improving this stage often has a greater impact than “just” increasing collection: without effective sorting, the system cannot scale circularity.
What EPR/RAP finances in this process
Operate and expand separate collection
Cover sorting and preparation-for-reuse costs
Boost recycling and treatment capacity
Ensure system traceability, control, and reporting.
Key actions to improve textile circularity
In addition to end of life, there are measures that improve the system’s performance:
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Designing textiles to last longer, be more repairable and recyclable, and facilitate the use of recycled material.
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Increasing the clarity of product information to enable better sorting and traceability.
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Reducing misleading practices (“greenwashing”) and improving consumer information to increase collection and return.
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Discouraging the destruction of unsold or returned textiles and reducing overproduction/overconsumption.
