attitudes towards reuse and repurposing. A circular value chain for textiles is now
Louisa Hoyes is Tomra Recycling’s Segment Manager – Textiles. Image: Tomra
emerging as key industry players begin to shape this new ecosystem. While Europe is leading the legislative push, the shift toward textiles as a strategic material is a global trend. This change is driven by brand sustainability goals, consumer demand and anticipated regulation in key markets like the US (California) and Australia, where similar circular economy discussions are gaining momentum. Consequently, waste managers and handlers worldwide are expected to scale rapidly as regulatory frameworks mature and off-take routes are secured.
– offers a proven blueprint for scaling textile sorting. Unlike low-volume line sorters, AutoSort is designed for high throughput, targeting one pure material fraction (A) while allowing all other materials to drop (B). This singular focus ensures the purity required by chemical and advanced mechanical recyclers, and the sys- tem enables a throughput of up to 4.5 tons per hour. For customers needing multiple fractions, cascading AutoSort units – each leveraging advanced sensor integration – enable precise recovery of all desired materials from the infeed stream. Sorting alone isn’t enough. To meet
recyclers’ strict input requirements, Tomra has been working with Vecoplan, a leader in shredding technology, to deliver a complete solution. This integrated concept covers the full pre-treatment process: from advanced sorting and contaminant removal (like zippers and buttons) to size reduction and purification. Together, we eliminate a major barrier to scale – ensuring customers can deliver high-quality, recycler-ready feedstock. So, if textiles sorting technology is
commercially viable and ready, why isn’t the market already scaling? The answer lies in the financial and logistical fragmentation of the overall market ecosystem. The sheer volume of waste – exacerbated by the low longevity of fast fashion garments – re- quires simultaneous action across five domains, relying on these key market drivers for a scaled circular textiles value chain.
About the author Louisa Hoyes is Segment Director – Textiles at Tomra Recycling •
www.tomra.com
Overcoming complex coordination 1. Regulatory push: This includes the EU mandatory separate collection of textile waste (introduced on January 1, 2025) and a strong textiles EPR scheme (mandatory by April 2028) to fuel cross-value chain investments. This is set to be complemented by forthcoming mandatory recycled content targets for brands under the Ecodesign for Sustain- able Products Regulation;
2. Access to feedstock: Attaining sustainable prices through increased collection rates, creating new collection routes dedicated to both reuse and recycle-grade textiles;
3. Recycling technologies maturing: In parallel with sorting and pre-sorting capabilities scaling, this will enable textile-to-textile (T2T) recycling. Demand for fibre-to-fibre and downcy- cled products (eg, non-wovens) brings waste percentages down, improving overall financial attractiveness;
4. Brands unlock ‘real demand’: Brands must commit significant volume of off-take for recycled T2T material, driven by strong EPR schemes and minimum recycled content targets – such as those currently being discussed by the EU Commission under the ESPR Textile Delegated Act;
5. Increased consumer awareness: Acknowledging the real cost of fast fashion and a sustained shift in consumer
Policy as the necessary anchor Initiatives like France’s Ultra-Fast Fashion Bill signal that global regulatory patience has run out, validating the urgent need for synchronized investment across the textile value chain. Governments globally must rapidly
adopt effective EPR systems for textiles. Without this financial anchor (already established in the EU and emerging elsewhere), the entire recycling structure stalls. The bottleneck – the lack of a strong business case for sorting centres – will only be removed when brands commit to long-term off-take agreements for recycled materials, which are often channelled through the financial security of these EPR schemes.
The blueprint for industrial sorting and pre-processing The good news is that the technology debate is over. The blueprint for industrial, high-purity sorting and integrated pre- processing is complete. Policy acts as the catalyst, but the responsibility is shared across the entire sector. The time for brand owners, waste handlers and investors to stop waiting and start acting is now. We have the equipment to supply the
market and our commitment extends beyond current solutions to actively accelerate future market growth. The industry must now build the sophisticated, synchronized infrastructure to handle the volume and pull the material into genuine circularity.
1. McKinsey & Company’s report: Scaling textile recycling in Europe – turning waste into value 2. Boston Consulting Group (BCG)’s report: Spinning Textile Waste into Value 3. McKinsey & Company’s report: Scaling textile recycling in Europe – turning waste into value
Textiles Loop • Summer 2026 31
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