China to recycle 25% of its textile waste by 2025
14/04/2022
Jointly published by the nation’s ministry of commerce, the ministry of industry and information technology and the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), the document, Implementation opinions on accelerating the recycling of waste textiles, also specifies how the government seeks to recycle 30% of waste textiles by 2030 and produce 3 million tonnes of recycled fibre annually by that same year.
According to the NDRC, China generated roughly 22 million tonnes of textile waste in 2020, around 20% of which was eventually recycled. Approximately 1.5 million tonnes of recycled fibres were created from this waste over the course of the year. By 2025, the goal is to create 2 million tonnes of recycled fibre per year.
Vice chair of the China Association of Circular Economy, Zhao Kai, commented: “With the continuous improvement in people’s living standards, more and more used clothing [is being put to waste] and the problem of recycling textile waste has become increasingly prominent.”
It is reportedly hoped that the implementation of these plans will further spur China on towards the achievement of its wider “dual carbon” strategy. That is, the country’s commitment to achieving peak carbon emissions by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2060.
Image credit: Hanna Balan.
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