Fashion
System-wide improvements could boost textile recycling rate: BCG
Reaching that level will require industry-wide changes, including expanding efforts to collect discarded textiles, adopting new technologies, increasing operational efficiency and boosting investments, it noted.
It will also require more companies to make and sell products created from recycled materials—and more people to buy them.
System-wide improvements could boost textile recycling rate with a raw material value of more than $50 billion, a Boston Consulting Group commentary said.
Reaching that level will require industry-wide changes, including expanding efforts to collect discarded textiles, adopting new tech, raising operational efficiency, boosting investments and making more companies sell recycled products, it noted.
In 2024, discarded clothing worldwide reached 120 million metric tonnes—a clear indication of how dramatically fashion consumption has changed. As a direct result of these trends, global fibre production has more than doubled since 2000, amplifying both consumption patterns and waste.
The increase in textile waste imposes significant economic and environmental burdens. In 2024, approximately 80 per cent of discarded clothing ended up in landfills or incinerators, while only 12 per cent was reused, and substantially less than 1 per cent was recycled into new textile fibres.
The environmental toll is particularly high, the commentary by Rohan Sajdeh, Catharina Martinez-Pardo, Alexander Meyer zum Felde, Tom Lange, Eleonora Tieri and Elian Evans observed.
Producing textiles accounts for 92 per cent of the fashion industry’s greenhouse gas emissions. Disposal exacerbates such emissions. Open dumping adds another layer of risk, releasing harmful micro-plastics into the environment.
The authors expect demand for recycled textiles to exceed supply by 30 to 40 million metric tonnes by 2030.
Despite the growing momentum for change, the existing textile value chain includes many barriers to recovering and reusing more waste. Three, in particular, pose challenges to meaningful change, the authors said.
First, several factors often make recycled materials less desirable economically and practically than virgin fibres. While enthusiasm for recycled fibers is rising, concerns about quality, availability and integration into established supply chains can make them less appealing.
Moreover, the cost disparity is significant: recycled polyester can be more than twice as expensive as virgin polyester, and recycled cotton usually commands a higher price as well.
Second, today’s textile waste management infrastructure falls short. Current textile recycling systems simply weren’t designed for the immense volumes the world generates. Most collection channels primarily support resale markets, both charitable and commercial, rather than recycling initiatives.
Consequently, sorting processes rely heavily on manual labour that is optimised for resale rather than recycling. These manual processes cannot efficiently categorize textiles by recyclability, fabric composition, and colour, or effectively remove disruptors like buttons and zippers. Consumer confusion further complicates this already strained system.
Third, complex fabrics require innovating beyond current recycling capabilities. Most modern fabrics are made from blends of different fibre types. However, most existing industrial recycling solutions, which are primarily mechanical, can handle only single-material textiles.
This mismatch between waste and technology has led to an urgent need for innovative solutions that can handle a broad range of modern textile waste and deliver products that are competitive in cost and quality, the authors wrote. Such techniques have yet to reach the scale necessary to tackle current waste volumes.
To build a profitable system for all stakeholders, the industry should focus on five key actions designed to work across all of the barriers mentioned above: promote demand for textiles with recycled fibres; collect more waste; modernise sorting; scale effective recycling solutions; and invest in innovation, they said.
Success will also depend on creating meaningful economic incentives for businesses and consumers, and harnessing synergies across the value chain, the authors added.
Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DS)
According to the Drewry WCI index, the spot rates from Shanghai to New York and Los Angeles decreased by 3 per cent to $3,552 and $2,810, respectively, per 40-foot container. As per Drewry’s Container Capacity Insight, 9 blank sailings have been announced on the Transpacific trade route for next week to maintain capacity. A few carriers have announced a Peak Season Surcharge (PSS) of around $2,000 per 40ft container, effective May 1. Drewry expects freight rates to remain relatively stable in the coming weeks before the implementation of the announced PSS.
Drewry WCI snapped a six-week rally, falling 2.72 per cent to $2,246 per FEU amid easing freight rates.
Declines on Asia–Europe and Transpacific routes drove the drop, though carriers plan PSS hikes from May.
Despite Middle East tensions, rates are expected to remain relatively stable, with capacity shifts and blank sailings influencing movements.
Spot rates on the Shanghai–Rotterdam trade route decreased 3 per cent to $2,229 per 40ft container, while rates on Shanghai–Genoa fell 2 per cent to $3,343 per 40ft container. Carriers are increasing effective capacity on this trade route, with only one blank sailing announced so far. Meanwhile, ZIM has announced a new bunker factor (NBF) of $850 per container, effective May 1, but for now Drewry expects freight rates to remain stable in the coming week.
Rates from New York to Rotterdam decreased 4 per cent to $1,022 per FEU, while Rotterdam to New York increased 3 per cent to $2,030 per FEU. Rotterdam-Shanghai rose 1 per cent to $599 per FEU, and Los Angeles–Shanghai steadied at $762 per 40-foot container.
The US-led naval blockade around the Strait of Hormuz has halted or restricted ships linked to Iran, with multiple vessels turned back. The disruption has strongly impacted global oil supply chains and pushed oil prices even higher. If ongoing negotiations fail, shippers should prepare for reduced schedule reliability, potential port omissions, longer lead times and upwards pressure on freight rates.
Fibre2Fashion News Desk (KUL)
The country has ensured import of refined fuel from alternative sources despite the global situation, and there will be no adverse impact on oil supply due to ERL’s low feed operations, Energy Division joint secretary Monir Hossain Chowdhury was cited as saying by domestic media outlets.
Bangladesh’s Energy Division recently said the capacity of Eastern Refinery Limited (ERL) would affect little the fuel supply system as the unit contributes only a fifth of the country’s petroleum supply system while the rest is imported in refined form.
It has ensured import of refined fuel from alternative sources, and there will be no adverse impact on oil supply due to ERL’s low feed operations.
The facility is now operating two of its four units to refine oils with ‘dead stocks’ and is expected to make two other units operational again, he said. The process to import crude is under way.
Chowdhury said production slowdowns at two ERL units due to crude oil shortages would not disrupt the nation’s fuel supply as over 255,000 metric tonnes of refined fuel is in stock now.
The Strait of Hormuz has been almost closed since February 28 preventing scheduled arrival of 2,00,000 metric tonnes of crude oil to Bangladesh during that period, he noted.
A ship carrying 100,000 tonnes of crude was supposed to arrive from Saudi Arabia in March, but is currently stuck at Rastanura Port as it could not cross the Hormuz Strait, he informed reporters at a press conference. Another ship from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) also met the same fate.
A third ship carrying 100,000 tonnes of Arabian light crude is scheduled to depart from the UAE on April 20 and expected to reach Chattogram via an alternative route on May 2 or 3, he said.
The government has also requested Saudi Arabia to provide another 100,000 tonnes of crude oil in May, he added.
A work order has been issued with the approval of the cabinet to import 100,000 tonnes of crude oil through direct purchase to meet urgent needs.
Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DS)
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