TE’s framework aims to track source of recycled polyester
The US-based Textile Exchange has released an update to its Reclaimed Materials Declaration Form (RMDF) which will mean that data will now be collected around where recycled material came from, helping to track the difference between polyester from recycled bottles or recycled textiles.
At present, the industry cannot tell whether the recycled polyester it is using comes from plastic bottles or from another source, and the data that is collected is often not classified or standardised, it said.
To tackle this challenge, in 2023 Textile Exchange and Fashion for Good launched a project alongside adidas, Target, Besteller, Norrøna, and Levi Strauss & Co, with support from Control Union, Reverse Resources, Recover and Usha Yarns to standardise how textile waste data is collected and shared across the supply chain, from collectors and recyclers to certification bodies. The initiative also explored integration with a digital traceability system.
The report found that the RMDF can be integrated with other systems that recyclers are currently using. This means that recyclers who use other systems to collect data around recycling inputs won’t have to enter the same data in two different places. Instead, they will be able to link the outside system with Trackit.
The revised RMDF captures data points such as a fibre’s composition, colour, origin or source.With greater transparency, brands will be able to increase the volume of recycled textiles used in their products and reduce the use of recycled bottles, according to Textile Exchange.
