Securing buyers for recycled fibers and improving the supply of usable textile waste emerged as priorities for expanding textile-to-textile recycling at the 2026 Textile Exchange Conference.
“One of the key takeaways from throughout the week is that the fashion, textile and apparel industry is moving beyond proving the technical feasibility of textile-to-textile recycling towards building the systems and infrastructure needed to scale it commercially,” said Daren Abney, senior director of materials engagement and partnerships at Textile Exchange, which hosted the event.
Held Oct. 13-15 at the Vancouver Convention Centre, the event brought together more than 1,300 participants from across the textile supply chain. Its theme, “The Implementation Era,” focused discussions on putting industry plans into practice.
Matching feedstock to capacity
In its recent report, Textile Exchange estimated that recyclable textile feedstocks could reach about 15 million metric tons globally in 2030, compared with an estimated 10 million in 2025. After accounting for processing and capacity constraints, the model indicates potential output of 3 million to 5 million metric tons of fiber suitable for spinning into yarn by 2030.
“This estimate should be viewed as an initial modeled indication of potential spinnable fiber output and not as a forecast of material that will automatically become available,” Abney said.
The analysis covers post-industrial and post-consumer textiles, including cotton, polyester, nylon, wool, manmade cellulosic fibers and blends. Plastic bottles and other non-textile feedstocks are excluded from its textile-to-textile supply estimates.
The estimate depends heavily on expansion plans from a small number of polyester recyclers. Facilities must come online and operate at anticipated utilization rates, while blend separation and processing losses also affect output, Abney said.
Collectors and sorters have a role in improving the supply of material recyclers can use.
“Approaches to textile collection, sorting and recovery vary across countries and regions, offering valuable lessons for strengthening textile-to-textile feedstock supply globally,” Abney said. “Building on these learnings to develop more efficient and accurate collection and sorting systems will be important to improving feedstock recovery and increasing the supply of suitable material for textile-to-textile recycling.”
Financing the system
Producers at the conference identified purchasing commitments from brands, including purchase orders for existing fiber supply, as the strongest immediate way to help recyclers secure financial support.
A conference session on systemic bankability from the Textile Exchange project Accelerating Circularity examined why technically viable projects struggle to attract commercial financing. Its framework identifies as barriers weak purchasing commitments, costs above virgin alternatives, performance risks at first commercial plants and coordination gaps between processing steps.
The financing challenge starts before a facility has an operating history. Lenders need confidence in feedstock, plant performance and sales revenues, but risks at first commercial plants can remain with parties unable to absorb them, according to the framework.
Sorters need recyclers committed to buying their output, while recyclers need secured feedstock before financing plants. The report recommends pooling brand demand into binding, multiyear purchase contracts and establishing common feedstock grades with enforceable quality requirements.
Accelerating Circularity is seeking brands, recyclers, investors, lenders, insurers and policymakers for a coalition to establish shared priorities and joint initiatives addressing these barriers to commercial scale.
“Textile Exchange is in the process of building a clearer understanding of the costs borne by producers as they transition to preferred production systems, including textile-to-textile recycling,” Abney said. “For polyester, which accounts for the largest volumes, scaling textile-to-textile recycling presents cost challenges linked to infrastructure, collection and sorting logistics, highlighting the importance of investment and approaches to demand aggregation. Future phases of this work will seek to identify which of the cost drivers may reduce with scale and which will remain, giving a view of relative costs at maturity.”
Keeping reuse first
Textile Exchange noted recycling should handle only textiles no longer suitable for reuse, making quality assessments an important part of collection and recycling systems.
“Reuse, repair and resale should be prioritized to extend the life of textiles and retain the value of garments for as long as possible,” Abney said.
The organization linked that priority to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s circularity principles, which call for eliminating waste and pollution and keeping products and materials in circulation. Effective quality assessments should help route collected textiles to their most appropriate end use.
Textile Exchange is encouraging brands to establish sourcing targets through its preferred production system pathways. Over the next year, the organization will look for purchasing commitments, more verified recycled fiber incorporated into products, greater utilization of recycling capacity and improved data on collection, sorting and material flows.
“By strengthening demand signals, brands can help scale these systems alongside investment in supply-chain infrastructure,” Abney said.
