USA

USA

Sorting for Circularity USA

UPCOMING
January 2023 - May 2024
Fashion for Good, Resource Recycling Systems

Textile Waste Quantities

*All data is in tonnes per annum
15,400,000
Post Consumer
Textile Waste
Rewearable
Post Industrial
Textile Waste
Recyclable
Imported
Textile Waste
Other
Exported post
consumer textiles
15,400,000
Total Textile Waste
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Textile Waste compositions
*All data is in tonnes per annum
Post consumer textile waste
Total Textile Waste
15,400,000
Cotton
50.5%
Polyester
27.9%
Viscose
9.4%
Nylon
3.4%
Acrylic
2.5%
Wool
1.4%
Silk
0.5%
Acetate
0.35%
Elastane
0.35%
Undefined
3.7%
POST Industrial Textile Waste
Cotton
Polyester
Viscose
Nylon
Acrylic
Wool
Silk
Acetate
Elastane
Undefined
IMPORTED Textile Waste
Cotton
Polyester
Viscose
Nylon
Acrylic
Wool
Silk
Acetate
Elastane
Undefined
Data Methodology

The post-consumer textile waste characterization study collected information about product type, fiber composition, color, and disruptors using a combination of manual assessment and NIR technology. This Project analyzed a total of 14.84 tonnes of post-consumer garments across 5 regions of the U.S (California, Colorado, Texas, Florida, and New York). On-the-ground evaluations were conducted over two time periods, summer/spring 2023 and autumn/winter 2023, to account for seasonal differences in the garments entering sorting/grading facilities. The project focused on residential post-consumer textiles only.

Upcoming & Notes

In terms of suitability for recycling, approximately 9% of residential post-consumer textiles are suitable for mechanical fiber-to-fiber cotton recycling and up to 56% are suitable for chemical fiber-to-fiber recycling. Textiles for mechanical recycling considered only single-layer & single-color cotton, with 90% or higher target fiber composition, and no/removable disruptors.  Textiles for chemical recycling considered only single-layer cotton, polyester, and nylon, with 80% or higher target fiber composition, or any poly-cotton blends.

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