Recycling news and archive

Do Zara and H&M generate 12 times more textile waste than Shein?

As the 2026 legislative debate centres on implementing decrees for the law against ultra-fast fashion, a field study challenges our assumptions. The primary burden on the circular economy does not currently stem from new digital players, but from legacy brands. The saturation of recycling channels is linked to this long-established production...

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Epoch Biodesign to open world's largest nylon 6,6 biorecycling facility in London

UK biotechnology company Epoch Biodesign is set to open Europe’s first and the world’s biggest nylon 6,6 biorecycling demonstration facility. The global leader in enzymatic recycling, the plant will open at Grapht Works, Imperial College in North Acton, London, the city’s new pilot manufacturing facility. The announcement comes a month after...

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Ireland launches national circular economy strategy for textile industry

The Irish government has launched a new strategy to overhaul the national textile industry, with the mission of shifting from a linear “take-make-waste” model to a circular economy. With the unveiling of the Whole of Government Economy Strategy 2026-2028 and the first-ever National Policy Statement and Roadmap on Circular Textiles, Ireland is...

Fashion

Madewell, Re&Up and Isko launch a ‘textile-to-textile’ denim collection

Textile recycling specialist Re&Up Recycling Technologies has entered into a strategic collaboration with American denim brand Madewell and global fabric manufacturer Isko. By transforming around 20,000 used jeans into high-quality recycled raw material for a ‘textile-to-textile’ denim collection by Madewell, the partner companies are...

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Fashion for Good launches FAE project to bridge textile recycling gap

Sustainability platform Fashion for Good is launching a new project, FAE (Feedstock Activation Europe), to address the missing link in textile recycling: sorting and pre-processing infrastructure. The organisation announced the news in a press release. The initiative, supported by major players such as Adidas, Bestseller and Inditex, aims to...

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China: AI scanner analyses textiles for recycling in seconds

A recycling plant has been developed in China that uses artificial intelligence to quickly and automatically analyse textile waste according to its material composition. The “Fastsort-Textile” machine was developed by the Chinese company DataBeyond and named one of the best inventions of 2025 by The Times Magazine. The plant combines a conveyor...

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King Louie takes major step towards circular fashion with collection made from textile waste

Annually, 99 percent of all textile waste worldwide is lost through destruction, landfill, or remaining unused. King Louie aims to break this trend and contribute to a circular fashion industry. The brand proudly introduces a new collection that transforms textile waste into stylish designs—a step towards creating more with fewer resources. New...

Fashion

H&M Foundation announces Global Change Award 2026 finalists

The H&M Foundation has announced its top 20 finalists for the 2026 Global Change Award (GCA). Selected from 450 ideas submitted from 81 countries across six continents, the innovations from the 20 early-stage finalists are set to be reviewed by the GCA Expert Panel together with the H&M Foundation team. From the 20 finalists, the panel and team...

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Madewell, Reformation and C&A partner with Fiber Club from Circ to accelerate use of recycled textiles

Lifestyle brand Madewell, Los Angeles-based fashion brand Reformation, and European retailer C&A are three of the newest brand partners to join the Fiber Club initiative from Circ, a US-based textile-to-textile recycler. The three new brand partners, together with fiber manufacturer Lenzing and Linz Textil, a European manufacturer of yarns,...

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Global apparel & textile recycling market predicted to hit 20.2 billion dollars by 2031

The global clothing and textile recycling market is projected to reach a total worth of 20.2 billion US dollars, up from 13.6 billion US dollars in 2024, according to the latest Valuates Report, highlighting the growing value of this sector. Driven by the advancement of circular-economy initiatives around the world, this increase represents a...

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Future Snoops: “AI can become one of the most powerful sustainability tools we have”

“The future isn’t predetermined. The impact of AI depends entirely on how we choose to use it. If we’re intentional, if we design responsibly and act with purpose, AI can become one of the most powerful drivers of sustainability in the decade ahead,” said Emma Grace Bailey, director of sustainability at Future Snoops (FS), during the trend...

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Business|Opinion

What sustainability and circularity experts predict for fashion in 2026

With 2026 fast approaching, FashionUnited asks six sustainability and circularity experts what fashion and retail should expect next. Fashion in 2026: Sustainability and circular experts on what’s coming next 1. Tiina Nyman, founder at Circular Fashion News Resale continues to drive the strongest momentum in circular fashion. The number of...