Textile recycling in Denmark: challenges, progress, and future Opportunities
A recent study by Anders Damgaard, Associate Professor at the Technical University of Denmark claims that only 2% of Danish textiles are suitable for high-quality recycling. This startling statistic sheds light on the current challenges in the textile recycling industry. Despite the growing interest in this field, the complexity of textile waste and the limitations of recycling technology create a significant hurdle.
Textile recycling is a key area of research for many universities and research institutions, who are digging into the intricate problems facing the industry. These challenges range from the material composition of textiles to the limitations of existing recycling methods. But the landscape is changing fast. As consumer expectations grow and new technologies emerge, the potential for improving recycling rates increases.
NewRetex plays a major role in addressing these issues. The company handles more than a quarter of all textile waste collected from Danish municipalities, covering regions across the entire country. This large-scale operation provides them with valuable data on textile waste, giving them a unique perspective on what can and cannot be recycled. According to their findings, 45% of the textiles they receive are suitable for recycling. Brands like ID® IDENTITY, Superstainable, and liiteGuard already use fibers recycled by NewRetex in their collections.
One common misconception in the industry is the idea of “high-quality recycling.” The term often implies that materials that aren’t suitable for fiber-to-fiber recycling end up as lower-quality products, a process sometimes referred to as down-cycling. But NewRetex takes a different approach. They argue that not all textiles are eligible for fiber-to-fiber recycling, especially because many are made from multi-fiber blends. While this makes recycling more complicated, it doesn’t necessarily mean the recycled material is of poor quality.
NewRetex has found that some of their highest quality recycled fibers come from dual-blend materials—further proving that the recycling process doesn’t always determine the final product’s quality. What matters most is the performance and durability of the recycled products, which must meet the same standards as those made from virgin materials.
