Europe’s textile waste management system under critical strain: BCG – Fibre2Fashion

The backbone of Europe’s textile waste management system, its collection and sorting infrastructure, is under critical strain, according to a recent report by the Boston Consulting Group (BCG).

Several major players are halting operations or going bankrupt, triggering a breakdown in the system, the report, titled ‘Textile Waste at a Tipping Point: Unlocking Europe’s Circular Potential’, said.

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Without urgent intervention, Europe’s textile circularity ambitions risk unravelling, the report cautions.

In Europe, only around 1 per cent of textile waste is recycled into new textiles. The rest is either reused through second-hand markets, downcycled into lower-value applications like rags or insulation, processed into solid recovered fuel (SRF) or sent to landfill or incineration.

Landfilling is expected to decline sharply by 2035—from 26 per cent of total textile waste in 2024 to 17 per cent in 2035—driven by regulatory and environmental pressure. The EU Landfill Directive mandates that municipal waste landfilling fall below 10 per cent by 2035, prompting many countries to implement landfill taxes and bans on specific products.

Reuse is the most sustainable option and has been enabled by charity networks, resale platforms, and exports. Yet the ecosystem is under pressure and the second-hand textile market in Europe is stalling slightly, driven by the rise of ultra-fast fashion and the saturation of traditional export channels, the report notes.

Find the full article here: https://www.fibre2fashion.com/news/textile-news/europe-s-textile-waste-management-system-under-critical-strain-bcg-305173-newsdetails.htm

Read the report here: https://www.bcg.com/publications/2025/spinning-textile-waste-into-value