Abstract

Textile recycling is advancing rapidly, yet large-scale implementation is constrained by feedstock variability, limited sorting capacity, pretreatment burdens (dyes/finishes), and weak market pull for recycled fibres and polymers. This review connects unit operations—collection, automated identification and sorting, disassembly, pretreatment, mechanical and thermo-mechanical recycling, and chemical routes for cellulosics and polyester—with system enablers such as design-for-circularity, digital product passports, and extended producer responsibility. We highlight practical decision points for industry: (i) high-value
outcomes require high-quality sorted fractions; (ii) pretreatment and quality assurance often dominate costs; and (iii) mechanical and chemical recycling should be deployed as complementary steps in a reuse-first cascade. Finally, we outline an architecture for textile circulation that links reverse logistics, staged recycling pathways, and demand creation for recycled outputs.

Keywords

textile recycling, circular economy; sorting, digital product passport, design for disassembly, cellulosic recycling, PET recycling, EPR