$4 billion opportunity in textiles waste, says GFA
Boosting the use of post-industrial textile waste as a feedstock for new fabrics is the focus of the Global Fashion Agenda (GFA)’s new Upstream Circularity Playbook, published in six languages.
With support from Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and the H&M Foundation, the report draws on 20 global case studies to provide a guide to help stakeholders scale circular business models.
Significant volumes of post-industrial textile waste yet to be properly harnessed. In Bangladesh alone, embracing textile recycling could unlock $4 billion to $5 billion annually through the export of recycled products, it said. However, limited recycling capacity underscores a critical gap in industrial waste management.
GFA previously noted in the Scaling Circularity Report that existing recycling technologies have the potential to drive up to 80% circularity in the fashion industry if fully scaled. Additionally, the Pre-Feasibility Report highlights that, in the case of Bangladesh, recycling textile waste could reduce cotton imports by 20%, saving nearly $750 million annually.
Federica Marchionni, CEO of Global Fashion Agenda, said: "By prioritising innovation and value creation in key manufacturing regions, we are using post-industrial waste to build the infrastructure needed to attract and scale recyclers, ultimately preparing these regions for post-consumer waste recycling and driving meaningful change worldwide."
